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Chapter 364: Wine-Jar Monsters

Previously...

While both wielded fire, Di Nufeng utterly overpowered Yang Heng in every way—power, speed, and strength. It was a hopelessly one-sided battle. His only option was to flee and buy himself some time, hoping to repent before the inevitable end.

Why did I provoke her in the first place? Yang Heng thought.

Meanwhile, Chu Liang and the four Inferno Devil Valley disciples, their bodies cloaked in flames, stood their ground.

These diabolical cultivators, wearing the blazing Inferno Devil Armor, were well-known within their sect and were called Inferno Devil Armored Warriors. The entire Inferno Devil Valley had only a few dozen of these warriors, and the four with Yang Heng were among the best.

The four diabolical cultivators were all at the fifth realm of cultivation.

Logically, Chu Liang, at the fourth realm, should have been like a sheep among wolves facing them. However, Di Nufeng was able to leave him behind and confidently pursue the leader of the Inferno Devil Valley because Chu Liang had assured her, "Esteemed Teacher, I will be fine. Please chase after him without worry."

After Di Nufeng left, the four diabolical cultivators had no intention of fighting, uncertain when that monster might return. They were more concerned with escaping.

But it was Chu Liang who wouldn't let them go.

Just as the four Inferno Devil Armored Warriors were preparing to escape using their stealth-traversal techniques, they heard Chu Liang shout, "You think you can just leave after showing up here?"

Indeed, Chu Liang was ready to take on these four fifth-level diabolical cultivators by himself!

The gap between individuals at the fifth realm could be greater than the difference between a human and a hou.

If Yang Hong was a prodigy at the fifth realm, then these four were merely elites. The gap was immense.

And Chu Liang had just refined his Geng Metal foundational qi and was eager to find someone to test it on!

Bang—

With a thunderous explosion echoing through the air, Chu Liang shouted, "Old Fei! Keep them here!"

In that instant, Old Fei's ethereal blue figure materialized behind him. From a distance, he raised a finger and declared, "Within a hundred zhang, no one shall fly!"

Whoosh—

A ripple-like breeze swept across the area.

The Inferno Devil Armored Warriors, who were about to escape into the sky, were suddenly grounded by a binding spell. While they were still in shock, Chu Liang had already reached them!

With the Dustless Sword in hand, the young man before them radiated a golden light. A chilling aura entwined the blade as he struck down fiercely!

With his physique enhanced by the Secret Dragon Blood Technique, Chu Liang crossed a hundred zhang in a single step, arriving in an instant!

As the Inferno Devil Armored Warrior was targeted, inferno flames were conjured into a shield of fire to block the attack. Sizzle—

But a sharp edge was hidden within the coldness. When the strike shattered the fire shield, Chu Liang flipped his wrist and struck again, instantly piercing through the sturdy armor!

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh—

"

This Inferno Devil Armor warrior hadn't yet mastered the Immortal Inferno Body and was immediately pierced through the chest by the sword. In his final moments, he channeled all his flames through the sword towards Chu Liang, hoping to take him down too!

But Chu Liang's body shone with golden light! He had already mastered the fifth-realm Metallic Body and wielded the power of the Jiuli Soul Armor.

The entire attack's damage was reduced by more than half, allowing Chu Liang to endure the assault without a scratch.

Even in death, the Inferno Devil Armored Warrior couldn't understand how a fourth-realm cultivator could possess such immense strength!

This was the first time Chu Liang truly realized how powerful this strength was. This was the power of the Geng Metal foundational qi!

Previously, he lost so badly to Yang Hong because Yang Hong not only possessed the Ding Fire foundational qi of a fifth-realm cultivator, but he had also used this Ding Fire foundational qi to master the Immortal Inferno Body, a technique usually mastered by those at the sixth realm.

The immense difference in the quality of their foundational qi caused Chu Liang to collapse at the first touch. It was too difficult for him to fight back.

But the situation has changed.

With the Colorful Doll now in his possession, Chu Liang tapped into the first level of the Secret Reservoir of Five Elements in the Five-Elements Puppet. The Geng Metal foundational qi generated from its qi circulation continually flowed into his body, allowing him to possess the quality of fifth-realm foundational qi in advance!

An attack performed with the Geng Metal foundational qi was invincible, while defense using the Geng Metal foundational qi would forge a Metallic Body. The power of the Geng Metal foundational qi was evident from the brief exchange moments ago.

The moves for offense and defense showcased the sharpness and resilience of the Geng Metal foundational qi!

When the other three Inferno Devil Armored Warriors saw this, they felt even more determined to escape.

But then, they heard a furious roar!

Aoooooooo—

The sixth-realm spirit beast Golden-Furred Hou blocked their way!

The three hesitated slightly, and in the next moment, a gust of wind from behind signaled Chu Liang's pursuit once more!

Killing a fifth-realm cultivator earlier had only slightly charred his clothes. Now, Chu Liang was filled with an unstoppable murderous aura.

The members of Inferno Devil Valley had repeatedly underestimated him, considering Chu Liang an easy target and trying to take his life. But how could he let them go now?

"Brothers, let's fight him together!" shouted one of the Inferno Devil Armored Warriors.

Upon hearing this, the other two charged at Chu Liang. But the soldier who had just shouted turned and fled in the opposite direction!

The two who had charged forward cursed inwardly, realizing there was no turning back. They had no other choice. Their only path to escape was through a bloody confrontation, as they could only flee by defeating this fourth-realm Mount Shu disciple!

But even as Chu Liang faced two opponents of a higher cultivation realm than him, he showed no fear.

With the thirteen talismanic scripts of ice written along its blade, the Dustless Sword swung in one swift motion!

When Chu Liang was at a lower cultivation level, he couldn't fully harness the power of the Dustless Sword. But now, with the Geng Metal foundational qi activating the sword, he could truly unleash its legendary power!

As the Inferno Devil Armored Warrior twisted its body, it transformed into a fiery tiger, pouncing at Chu Liang with bared fangs. Chu Liang crouched low and performed a sliding slash!

Sizzle—

The sword cleaved the fiery tiger in half!

At the same time, the other Inferno Devil Armored Warrior hadn't stood by and did nothing. He swung his arms, transforming them into two fiery serpents, attempting to entangle and restrain Chu Liang!

Even while dealing with the fiery tiger, Chu Liang effortlessly handled the fiery serpents. He immediately shouted, "Golden-Furred Hou!"

Roar—

With a deafening roar, the Golden-Furred Hou lunged forward, sinking its teeth into the upper body of the Inferno Devil Armored Warrior who had transformed his arms into fiery serpents!

This sixth-realm spirit beast was more powerful than Chu Liang, and it couldn't just stand there blocking the path.

While Chu Liang was now strong enough to handle a fifth-realm diabolical cultivator, it was mostly due to the sharpness of the Dustless Sword. If the two fifth-realm diabolical cultivators[1] attacked him simultaneously, it would still be difficult for him to win.

This was when bringing the Golden-Furred Hou along proved its worth.

"Raaaaaaaaaarrrrrr..."

The Golden-Furred Hou had just swallowed the Inferno Devil Armored Warrior, but its tongue was burned, causing it to leap around in discomfort. It quickly spat out the remaining half of the body, sticking out its tongue and flailing its massive paws in exaggerated motions as it danced around in pain.

With its massive form, it looked quite funny.

But Chu Liang had already turned his attention in another direction.

The last Inferno Devil Armored Warrior, having bought time by betraying his comrades, had escaped Old Fei's restrictive spell and was now flying away as a streak of fire.

Nevertheless, Chu Liang knew his death would be the worst among the four.

Because...

A crimson-gold meteor descended from the sky.

Whoosh—

Boom!

The fiery meteor crashed directly onto the escaping Inferno Devil Armored Warrior, causing the ground to shake with a thunderous roar.

After a while, the smoke cleared.

Di Nufeng appeared amidst the smoke. With her head tilted, she chuckled and said, "All done!"

"As expected! When my teacher strikes, the result is remarkable!" Chu Liang quickly praised.

These words came from the depths of his heart. He had marveled countless times at how Di Nufeng had never once disappointed him in fights and battles!

"Hehe, anyone who dares to provoke my disciple repeatedly should expect this outcome," Di Nufeng snorted proudly.

As Chu Liang stripped the broken Inferno Devil Armor and searched the belongings of the diabolical cultivators, he remarked, "These members of the diabolical sect keep hiding in the shadows. It's so annoying. Now that we've beaten up the lower-leveled ones, I wonder if the more powerful ones will show up."

"More powerful ones?" Di Nufeng's eyes lit up as though she had sensed something interesting. "Will such a good thing really happen to us?"

While they were on their way back to the Mount Shu Sect, Chu Liang couldn't help but think back to the state of his cultivation just a few months ago.

At that time, he was only at the third realm of cultivation. If it weren't for the power of the Crimson Executioner, the fifth-realm Fiend from the Dark King Sect could have easily crushed him.

And now, even without relying on the Crimson Executioner, he was capable of killing a fifth-realm cultivator.

Those times felt like a lifetime ago.

The sayings that Heaven rewards the diligent and that you reap what you sow were indeed true. The heavens would never disappoint those who toiled earnestly.

None of the efforts of any Large-Headed Doll were in vain!

After returning to Mount Shu, he handed over the damaged Inferno Devil Armor and locked storage enchanted tools to Wen Yulong. After several practice sessions, Junior Brother Wen had become quite the locksmith.

Afterwards, Chu Liang returned to Silver Sword Peak to rest.

He slept peacefully that night.

The next day, following his usual routine, he flew to the nearby black forest to find the adorable thorny black balls.

Although he had made great progress recently, he would still come by to harvest thorny black balls whenever he had free time. By doing so, he acquired more seeds for Golden Vein Berries, which he could use to expand Berry Wonderland further.

With the reputation of the berries already established, there was no risk of them going to waste.

The more, the better.

And thus, a pleasant day began.

But today, upon reaching the edge of the black forest, Chu Liang sensed something was wrong.

He had flown around the forest several times, but he hadn't spotted a single thorny black ball.

Where had his old friends gone?

He decided to venture deeper into the forest, heading towards the ghost tree.

The ghost tree, which produced the thorny black balls, still stood there ominously. Although Chu Liang was much stronger than before, he still didn't dare approach the tree recklessly, sensing the mysterious and dangerous aura emanating from it.

The ghost tree's branches swayed, laden with thorny black fruits, but none had fallen.

Chu Liang immediately realized the problem.

There were no lingering spirits!

In the past, the ghost tree attracted lonely wandering ghosts from a few hundred li away, which would then combine with the fruits on the tree. When the fruits fell on their own, they would transform into these sentient thorny black balls.

But now, while the ghost tree remained, the wandering ghosts were gone.

What was going on?

Chu Liang had formed a deep bond with the thorny black balls and couldn't bear to see them disappear. And so, he decided to investigate the cause.

However, daytime was not the best period to track down lingering spirits. During the day, ghastly creatures would hide themselves, making them difficult to find even if they were present.

Chu Liang then returned to Silver Sword Peak and cultivated on his own for a while.

As night approached, he ventured back to the area around the ghost tree.

The absence of lingering spirits during the day could be explained by their tendency to hide. However, the lack of wandering spirits at night was truly strange.

In such a spooky, desolate place, the absence of ghosts was eerie in itself!

Chu Liang immediately extended his divine sense, flying low over the ground and scanning every area in the vicinity.

He patiently flew until he reached the Bombax River area. It was late at night, with only a few stars accompanying the moon.

After a while, he finally sensed a trace of a lingering spirit.

Following that trace, he discovered an eerie black jar resembling a wine jar bobbing on the surface of the Bombax River.

This jar seemed to emit a strange, cold aura that attracted nearby wandering ghosts more strongly than the ghost tree.

As unconscious spirits approached, a black hand would shoot out from the wine jar, grabbing the lingering spirits and pulling them inside!

This jar is a trap!

A jar that devours ghosts?!

1. I was thinking about this story. Another reason why it's easier for him to fight someone of one cultivation realm higher than him is because these diabolical cultivators are usually unconventional cultivators. It was previously mentioned that unconventional cultivators tend to cultivate techniques from different places, making them weaker than those who follow an actual cultivation system. ☜