Chapter 131: Chapter 131 Black Skull Demon Head
 

Days passed by.

“A new pill was refined today, which calls for celebration.”

The next day.

Zhou Yi left the Phoenix Cry Pavilion feeling listless, determined to purify his mind and abstain from desires.

Several days later,

he successfully forged a lower-grade flying sword and went to the Phoenix Cry Pavilion to celebrate.

“Upon self-examination, my first day of abstinence from lust has passed!”

Half a month later.

He had another breakthrough in the way of formations, adding the Earth Cleaving Formation to the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation after the Four Symbols Sumeru and the Great Sun Divine Fire.

“With four overlapping formations, it warrants celebration!”

Half a year later.

“Starting from today, I can’t go on like this anymore!”

…

That day,

the weather was mild and the sun was pleasant.

Zhou Yi’s success rate with medium-grade talismans increased slightly as he strolled aimlessly through the trading area with his hands clasped behind his back.

Whether cursed by some nemesis or driven by fate, he found himself at the Phoenix Cry Pavilion without realizing it.

With the world in disarray, the business at Phoenix Cry Pavilion was also suffering.

Upon seeing Zhou Yi enter, the manager approached with a face full of respectful flattery, “Master Zhu, just yesterday Miss Miaomiao was saying that it has been three days since you last visited!”

“Has it been three days already? It seems my resolve has indeed improved significantly!”

Zhou Yi hurriedly made his way to the second floor, to his exclusive private room, pushed the door open, and found that it was not his friend Shui Duo waiting inside.

Clad in red gauze, the real person Hua Yue was drinking wine, reclining on a soft couch with her skin smooth as lard, her voice faint and distant, “Had I not accidentally stumbled upon this, who would have known that the ascetically renowned Brother Sun had such tastes?”

In the marketplace, Zhou Yi was not employing the Transforming Shape Formula but rather a common Art of Transformation, which could only deceive cultivators at the Qi Refinement Realm, not those with Divine Sense.

“The way of cultivation requires a balance between relaxation and tension!”

“Hehehe.”

Hua Yue covered her mouth with a light laugh, slowly stood up revealing her ample bosom without reservation, “I have run the Phoenix Cry Pavilion for quite a while but have never before encountered such an interesting cultivator. Would you care to sit down and discuss the Dao?”

Zhou Yi’s Divine Sense was sharp, sensing the subtle fluctuations of spells and slightly lowered his eyes.

“Too old! I prefer the younger ones…”

“What?”

Hua Yue’s eyebrows shot up in indignation, and even a woman over a hundred and fifty years old, no matter how profound her state of mind, couldn’t bear to hear the word ‘old’.

“I bid you farewell.”

Zhou Yi wasn’t truly put off by Hua Yue’s age – such a woman would surely cause a disaster with her beauty in the mortal world – but he dared not indulge in free games where the real pitfall was in the added charges without limit.

Before his words had ended, he had already transformed into a streak of escaping light.

“Since starting my cultivation journey, I have fled no more than a handful of times, and among them, two were from the Phoenix Cry Pavilion!”

…

Hua Yue’s angry expression quickly vanished, and she flickered into a red mist that dissipated.

On the third floor of Phoenix Cry Pavilion, there was a secret room filled with prohibitions.

Six Foundation Establishment cultivators gathered together, including Xuan Zhou’s confidant Huang Xu, all waiting with their eyes closed.

A wisp of pink mist drifted in, coalescing into the form of Hua Yue, who said coldly, “The attempt to win him over failed, the one named Sun was unmoved.”

“Could he report this to Xuan Zhou?”

Huang Xu voiced his worry, “Xuan Zhou is suspicious and ruthless by nature. Once he suspects us, he might not confront us directly, but he would surely secretly capture one of us for a Soul Search.”

Hua Yue replied, “Xuan Zhou knows that I primarily practice the Dual Cultivation method and have done it with him a few times. He should not suspect anything.”

A hint of jealousy flashed in Huang Xu’s eyes, and he said, “Since he is not amenable to reason, shall we get rid of this thorn first?”

Mo Qu frowned slightly, “The man is like a tortoise, never leaving the marketplace by half a step and always changing his appearance for Dual Cultivation. If it wasn’t for Daoist Hua Yue taking over Phoenix Cry Pavilion and discovering this by chance, we wouldn’t even know about this weakness!”

Another cultivator added, “Having one more of him around doesn’t make a difference. When the time comes, Daoist Luo and I can join forces to eliminate him.”

“That would be for the best.”

“I’ve inquired with the Dan Ding Sect, and those who are merely four or five years into their Foundation Establishment don’t even own a top-grade Magic Artifact,” he said.

“So what if his Lightning Method is exquisite, a combined sneak attack will either kill him or leave him seriously injured!”

The seven of them discussed the details further, executed the Art of Transformation, concealed their auras, and blended into the marketplace to leave.

…

The following day.

Xuan Zhou called together all the Foundation Establishment cultivators to the first cave dwelling for a meeting.

“I received news a few days ago that the Heavenly Demon Palace’s demons are hiding in the imperial palace, planning to perform a Blood Sacrifice on the citizens of the capital city to refine a demonic treasure!”

Zhou Yi furrowed his brows slightly and glanced at Hua Yue.

Hua Yue’s face showed a horrified expression as she said, “Senior Brother, such brutal acts must be reported for assistance without delay. We cannot let the demons succeed, or else it’ll be a significant loss of face for our sect, and both the Loose Cultivators and mortals will be panic-stricken.”

“I have already reported it to headquarters, but it was discovered too late to provide support!”

Xuan Zhou shook his head and said, “Daqing Capital City has a population of a million, and we, as righteous cultivators, cannot just watch them fall into the hands of the Demon Head!”

The real persons in the hall looked at each other, some gazing down at their wine cups, others looking up at the beams, none willing to commit.

This was an overt scheme. If the Great Marsh Marketplace doesn’t go to help, the Dan Ding Sect will lose face. To help is to walk into a trap where they’ll be locked in with a ‘close the door and beat the dog’ Formation and Prohibition.

Zhou Yi’s eyes were lowered, resolute in not taking the risk, preferring to escape midway and forsake a piece of the heavenly arts.

Xuan Zhou said, “Fellow Daoists, I have already asked our sect, and the reward for this act of saving the capital city from peril is substantial enough to exchange for a spot as a True Disciple!”

Zhou Yi’s eyebrows rose, recognizing that such a reward was indeed generous. Being a True Disciple allowed one not only to practice the Sect-Defending inheritances, but their progeny for three generations could also enter the Dan Ding Sect to cultivate—a legacy from their ancestors.

Huang Xu was old and was tempted upon hearing this, saying, “I am willing to assist Senior Brother in exterminating demons.”

Xuan Zhou nodded slightly, approvingly toward Huang Xu.

Once someone took the lead in agreeing, the rest, Zhou Yi included, gradually nodded in assent.

“Good! There’s no time to lose, let us head to the capital city now to exorcise the demons.” Having said that, Xuan Zhou transformed into a streak of escape light and flew towards the north.

Hua Yue, Mo Qu, and others exchanged covert looks, gleams of joy flickering in their eyes, before they turned into escape light and chased after Xuan Zhou.

Zhou Yi felt something was amiss about the whole affair, but, having already decided to leave, he followed at a leisurely pace without rush or delay.

…

Daqing’s Capital City lay north of the marketplace.

Nine streaks of escape light soared across the sky; Zhou Yi pretended to be unskilled in the Escape Skill, allowing the distance between him and those ahead to slowly increase by a hundred zhang.

Having flown a hundred li beyond the marketplace, and judging that the time seemed right, Zhou Yi was about to change directions to escape.

Boom!

A clap of thunder rang out as dark clouds converged overhead, bringing gusts of cold winds.

Seven Long Banners appeared out of nowhere, utterly black, their surfaces embroidered with countless fierce and vicious specters, their tails fluttering in the wind.

“A Formation? The demonic cultivators really don’t play by the rules!”

Zhou Yi cursed under his breath, spat out essence blood, and his entire being turned into a faint blood shadow, instantly darting three to four hundred zhang away, nearly escaping the Formation’s confines.

“Hehehe… Hm? How dare you!”

The startled Demon Head, initially ready with vicious remarks, abruptly stopped, clutched a spell in his hand, and billowing black smoke rose up to narrowly block the path of the blood shadow.

The Long Banners shifted their positions, as boundless demonic Qi descended from the sky and enveloped everything above and below the earth, isolating the inside of the Formation from the outside.

The Demon Head let out a couple of strange laughs, his eyes were actually formed of green flames.

“Just a mere early-stage Foundation Establishment, and you think you can escape my grand Formation? Submit to the demonic souls quietly, and you might suffer less pain!”

Zhou Yi’s breath was weak, his complexion pale as if severely depleted of Qi-Blood, sweeping his gaze over the people within the Formation and flickering to land beside Xuan Zhou.

Xuan Zhou scrutinized the black banner momentarily, then coldly said, “Xuanyin Soul Gathering Banner! Are you a demon from the Ghost King Sect?”

“Not bad, you’ve got some insight!”

The Black Skull materialized from the demonic clouds, the upper half of his body taking a humanoid form, while the lower half remained as a void of black mist: “I am Black Skull, a True Disciple of the Ghost King Sect. Today, I will slay a True Disciple of the Dan Ding Sect and raise the renown of our demons!”

The Yin Sha demonic Qi surged violently, even stronger than Xuan Zhou’s presence, clearly a Pseudo-Pill Realm Demon Head, only a step away from becoming a True Monarch.

“Half-man, half-ghost, you’re nothing but an outcast whose path is severed!”

Xuan Zhou spat out a golden pagoda, which hung above his head, emitting divine light that barred the demonic wind and Qi from entering.

“You cunning scoundrel, you pretend to walk into a trap, but in reality, you signal your sect members to gather in the capital, hoping to outnumber and ambush me.”

Black Skull let out a sly, gloating laugh, a glint of triumph sparkling in his soul-fire eyes.

“Little did you know, I’m a step ahead, having laid down a Formation en route, just waiting for you to walk into my trap!”