Chapter 22: The Demon Cultivators Set Out

Qu Yi sat in meditation on a rock, with five captives in the later Yuan Ying stage lying nearby—everything was very quiet.
With 60% of his spiritual awareness focused, Qu Yi was rapidly scanning knowledge of formation magic. What he learned in one day equaled what others would take a thousand years to study. Although it was still basic formation knowledge, as summarized by the Artifact God, it was extremely comprehensive and profound—something others could hardly achieve even in a lifetime of study.
Five days passed in the blink of an eye.
Bai Sen and the other five returned, bringing the captives with them.
Qu Yi opened his eyes and smiled as he looked up at the sky.
This time, Bai Sen and the five others had brought back twelve captives in total.
“You’ve worked hard,” Qu Yi said with a smile as he sat on a large rock.
Bai Sen stepped forward, standing at attention, and said crisply, “Master, the six of us searched for targets and captured twelve people. Three more targets killed themselves. Please forgive us, Master.”
Qu Yi smiled faintly and glanced at the twelve resentful captives before saying, “It’s fine. Since we’ve cleared this area of targets, let’s return to the sect first. After completing our mission, we can search other areas for targets.”
“Yes, Master,” replied Bai Sen and the others in unison.
Immediately afterward, Qu Yi took off and flew toward the valley where the Three Tripod Sect was located. Bai Sen and the five others followed, carrying the seventeen captives.
…
Inside the Three Tripod Hall, Wei Yan and Qu Yi each sat on their own jade beds.
Below the stone steps, Bai Sen and the others had gathered the seventeen captives in the later Yuan Ying stage together.
“Boring. We’ve worked hard on this trip. Xue Can has already captured sixteen people, and you’ve brought back seventeen more. We now have thirty-three captives. If we send these thirty-three out to hunt as well, we can quickly capture a thousand cultivators in the later Yuan Ying stage and finish this task soon,” Wei Yan said proudly.
Qu Yi also smiled and agreed, “That’s right. The time when the Three Tripod Sect rules the Hundred Demons Mountain Range is approaching soon.”
Wei Yan laughed even more arrogantly.
Then, he flew down and placed a soul shackle on each of the seventeen captives right in front of Qu Yi.
Qu Yi watched quietly, while the Artifact God inside the Dimensional Sphere naturally observed Wei Yan’s actions as well.
“Artifact God, how about it? Can this soul shackle control me?” Qu Yi transmitted his thoughts mentally.

Soon, the lazy voice of the Artifact God came through: “Qu Yi, before you collaborated with Wei Yan, I clearly told you that I can easily eliminate any soul technique in this world with just a snap of my fingers. Don’t worry; Wei Yan isn’t trying to impose a soul shackle on you now because he believes he can control you through his own strength. Perhaps he plans to do so once your strength reaches the later stage of Yuan Ying.” Qu Yi was stunned and thought to himself that Wei Yan must have some twisted preference—only being interested in those at the later stage of Yuan Ying. Wei Yan imposed soul shackles on the seventeen people and flew back to the jade bed, laughing triumphantly, “Great! Welcome, everyone.” Qu Yi smiled. The six members of Bai Sen’s group, along with the seventeen captives, immediately replied in loud voices, “Under the leadership of our sect master, San Ding Men will surely thrive and shine in the world of cultivation.” Wei Yan laughed wildly. Soon after, Qu Yi and the six members of Bai Sen’s group left San Ding Men again to search near Nan Yun City for cultivators at the later stage of Yuan Ying. As for the seventeen people who had just joined San Ding Men, Wei Yan decided to let them rest for a while to restore their vital energy before searching near Nan Yun City for their targets. … While San Ding Men was carrying out secret activities in Nan Yun City, numerous demon cultivators were also infiltrating various cultivation factions across the South Demon Continent. Especially in the five major demon cultivation sects—Bai Xue Gu, Hei Gu Jiao, Bai Yue Gong, Yin Feng Zong, and Wan Lei Ya—some powerful demon cultivators had concealed their auras and sneaked in. At the main hall of Bai Xue Gu, a tall man with a face full of fleshy protrusions and red skin emerged from the Bai Xue Hall. This man was named Xue Yin, the leader of the Blood Demon Altar. He was at the early stage of exiting his body and practiced brutal and powerful cultivation methods. Earlier, Xue Yin had been praised by the sect master, Zhu Hong, for having killed hundreds of cultivators recently, creating hundreds of blood puppets that enhanced Bai Xue Gu’s strength. As a result, Xue Yin also received a magical artifact, the Blood Siphon, which would allow him to extract and refine more cultivators’ life force. Flying in the air, Xue Yin headed toward his Blood Demon Peak when a red glow suddenly flashed in his eyes. “Hmph, Bai Xue Gu… I didn’t expect Xue Yin to already be under my control.” At that moment, in a pavilion on Blood Demon Peak, a charmingly handsome man sneered. This man was named Bai Yan, a demon cultivator whose true form was a Heart-Soul Blood Crow. He had reached the middle stage of exiting his body. On Hei Gu Jiao’s main peak, Hei Gu Peak…

Elder Zhen Xiong, after inspecting the peaks, flew back to his own cultivation mountain, Hei Xiong Peak, and then to his palace, Zhen Ying Hall, before entering his secluded meditation chamber. Inside the chamber, besides Zhen Xiong, there was also a man with a dark, sinister appearance. “I’m back. Report the latest developments in the Hei Gu Sect,” the man said calmly. It turned out that Zhen Xiong had already been controlled by this man, who would interrogate him after each inspection of the Hei Gu Sect. “Master Luo Yun, I visited all the peaks and found no major changes. On Xuan Yang Peak, it’s likely that the nephew of the sect leader, Xuan Gu, is dead. The man he sent, Jia Ping, has not returned either and is probably dead as well. Xuan Gu might leave the peak soon to pursue the murderer in the Hundred Demons Mountain Range.” Zhen Xiong spoke in a dull tone, his eyes vacant. It turned out that this man was named Luo Yun, also a demon cultivator whose true form was a gold-devouring tapir, with cultivation at the mid-stage of exiting the body. “Good. As soon as Xuan Gu leaves, send someone to take control of Xuan Yang Peak,” Luo Yun said indifferently. “Yes, Master Luo Yun,” Zhen Xiong replied in the same dull manner. Then, Zhen Xiong left the chamber, suddenly regaining his sharp and attentive expression. The headquarters of the White Moon Palace was located in the Snow Crystal Cave of the White Moon Mountain Range. The Snow Crystal Cave was extremely spacious and long, seemingly stretching through the entire mountain range. Its walls were made of snow-white, transparent crystals that always shone with star-like sparks, creating a breathtaking sight. The White Moon Palace had twenty cultivation peaks, each connected to the Snow Crystal Cave by its own cave. In normal times, the entire palace was divided into twenty separate areas, but during battles, they could be connected into one. At that moment, on Snow Drifting Peak, a girl with snow-like skin and silver hair that cascaded over her shoulders, extremely beautiful, descended silently. She pursed her lips, flashed a beautiful smile, and instantly teleported away. The next moment, she was already in a secret chamber within the Snow Drifting Palace. Inside the chamber was Piao Ling Er, the ruler of the Snow Peak Star of the White Moon Palace. She was at the peak of the early stage of exiting the body and was striving to reach the mid-stage. The girl appeared gracefully behind Piao Ling Er. At the moment Piao Ling Er suddenly woke up, a white Yuan Ying appeared above the girl’s head and pressed down on her. Piao Ling Er suddenly spat out a mouthful of vital blood and collapsed, falling into a deep sleep.

“Hehe, I’m already at the middle stage of leaving the body. I’ll use my Yuan Ying to suppress you directly—how can you escape?” The girl touched her floating hair and said proudly.
It turned out that this girl’s name was Zhuo Xi, and her true form was a Light Breathing Bee, with her cultivation reaching the middle stage of leaving the body.
Immediately, Zhuo Xi sent her spiritual awareness into Piaoling Er’s Yuan Shen, implanting a soul shackle on her.
The Yin Wind Sect specialized in wind-based cultivation techniques.
The Yin Wind Mountains were filled with deep canyons, large cracks, and wind caves—perfect for the sect’s practitioners to cultivate.
At this moment, on Yin Xiao Peak, the sect leader, Xiao Tian Shang Ren, was smiling as he looked up at the sky.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in the air—it was Chen Xing Shang Ren, another sect leader of the Yin Wind Sect.
“Haha, Xiao Tian, it’s been a long time since we last fought together. I received your message and came out of seclusion just to meet you. This time, I must have a proper duel with you!” Chen Xing Shang Ren called out cheerfully from the air.
Xiao Tian Shang Ren continued to smile. Only after Chen Xing Shang Ren landed did he say, “Brother, we’ve been fighting each other without a clear winner. I’m really looking forward to competing with you again. But first, I’ll take you to meet a friend who’ll interest you.”
Without waiting for Chen Xing Shang Ren’s reply, Xiao Tian Shang Ren flew into his secret chamber.
Chen Xing Shang Ren, without suspicion, followed him in.
Suddenly, a restriction activated throughout the chamber, blocking any energy leakage. Then, a person entered the chamber. This person appeared young, but his body emitted a faint aura of violence—it was actually a demon cultivator whose true form was a Howling Wind Ape.
“Xiao Tian, what are you doing?” Chen Xing Shang Ren suddenly cried out in alarm.
Xiao Tian Shang Ren didn’t respond. Instead, he sent his Yuan Ying out, placing it above his head and pressing it down on Chen Xing Shang Ren. The Howling Wind Ape also sent its Yuan Ying out to assist in suppressing Chen Xing Shang Ren.
Chen Xing Shang Ren wasn’t fast enough. His Yuan Ying couldn’t leave his side in time to counterattack, and he was continuously suppressed until he became suffocated and fainted.
“Master Yuan Feng, please implant a soul shackle on him,” Xiao Tian Shang Ren said respectfully after retracting his Yuan Ying.
It turned out that the Howling Wind Ape’s name was Yuan Feng. He glanced at the unconscious Chen Xing Shang Ren, smiled, then sent his spiritual awareness into Chen Xing Shang Ren’s Yuan Shen, leaving behind a soul shackle.
Wan Lei Ya had only five cultivation sites.
Since there were only five places in the entire Wan Lei Mountains where lightning frequently appeared, and since those capable of cultivating lightning-based techniques were extremely rare, Wan Lei Ya gathered all its sect disciples in these five locations.

One of these places is called Thunder Valley, where thunderstorms occur constantly at noon. Most of the valley is occupied by Thunder Lake, and there is also a Thunder Cave, which is the residence of the valley’s master, Lei Ji. At noon, dark clouds cover the sky, and in an instant, endless lightning strikes the ground and the lake. All the disciples of Thunder Valley immediately observe the lightning, absorbing its energy. Meanwhile, a tiny bolt of lightning shoots into the Thunder Cave, unnoticed by the disciples. Inside the cave, a mental barrier suddenly appears, blocking outsiders’ spiritual awareness. At that moment, Lei Ji, who was sitting in meditation, suddenly finds a seductive man with blue eyes standing before him. “You…” Lei Ji barely managed to speak before the man struck first. A prison of electricity! The man unleashed a powerful lightning spell, completely enveloping Lei Ji. Lei Ji struggled briefly before being stunned by the electricity. “Heh, I’m the Lightning Beast Lei Peng. How can you, who’s only at the early stage of spirit emergence, resist me?” the man boasted lightly. Then, Lei Peng implanted a soul shackle in Lei Ji.