Spirit Realm Chapter 471-474

Chapter 471: A Present from the Demon Sealing Tombstone!

In the old, decrepit village, after Qin Lie and the others left, Huang Zhuli stared at the Spring of Life in the well. Confused, she said, “This Qin Lie is a really strange person. I have no idea what he’s thinking.”

“Why does he want to gain Sister Xue’s favor?” Pan Qianqian was also confused.

“Regardless, this is not detrimental to us. We are about to get the Spring of Life.” Huang Zhuli’s expression was excited.

Xue Moyan’s expression was indifferent. She did not respond to the two, instead standing there in a daze and looking in the direction that Qin Lie had left.

“Why did he do this?”

She also didn’t understand why Qin Lie hadn’t just given up his share of the Spring of Life, but insisted that Terminator Sect, Du Xiangyang, Luo Chen, and the others give up their shares of the Spring of Life as well.

She knew that she had no connection to Qin Lie.

“Sister Xue. In my opinion, he’s obviously pursuing you!” Huang Zhuli laughed.

“It’s very likely.” Pan Qianqian also nodded.

“No, that definitely isn’t the case…” Xue Moyan shook her head. She still couldn’t think of a reason after considering the matter for a while, so she ordered, “Secure the Spring of Life for me.”

“I’ll do it!” Huang Zhuli said, taking the initiative.

“Mn, be careful.”

“Don’t worry! I’m simply getting the Spring of Life. It’s nothing major. Sister Xue, Qianqian, you two rest first. You can leave this to me.”

Huang Zhuli’s eyes were bright.

……

Peace returned after the wood spirit in the Forbidden Land of Wood was sealed. The ancient trees no longer became monsters that attacked people.

The shrubbery that had razor sharp leaves lost their frightening viciousness and became friendly plants again.

The previously dangerous Forbidden Land of Wood became incomparably tranquil. There were no other incidents of plants killing people.

The martial practitioners split up according to the forces they belonged to, each faction travelling through the forest and searching for a way to leave it.

In an area of lush, vibrant trees, Qin Lie, Song Tingyu, Du Xiangyang, and Xie Jingxuan slowly made their way through the woods

The direction in which they were moving was the general direction that Luo Chen had previously indicated.

“Qin Lie, you really shouldn’t have been in a hurry to leave. At the very least, shouldn’t you have asked Xue Moyan about the mysteries of the Graveyard of Gods?” Song Tingyu suddenly asked. “Only Chu Li and Xue Moyan seem to be familiar with the details about it. Furthermore, they agreed to tell you what they knew after the problem with Ye Yihao had been solved”

“There’s no need to dig any further. Because of Chu Li and Xue Moyan’s discussion, as well as what Ye Yihao said, I have a general understanding of the mystery behind the Graveyard of Gods.” Qin Lie stopped walking.

He turned his head to look back at Xie Jingxuan.

Xie Jingxuan had been silently deep in thought ever since they left the village in the Forbidden Land of Wood.

She was still trying to make sense of her hazy memory.

Qin Lie sighed.

“I actually want to know more about this wooden sculpture.”

Leaning against an old tree, he took the two wooden sculptures out of his spatial ring and caressed them with his finger. He released his mind consciousness to inspect them.

Xie Jingxuan had given both wooden sculptures to Qin Lie after she came to her senses. Between the two sculptures, the one that Qin Lie’s grandfather had left for him was clearly bigger.

Xie Jingxuan had found the other, slightly smaller sculpture beside the corpse of the Wood Race clansman that the wood spirit had refined to death. The remainder of that clansman’s soul and thoughts had taken over Xie Jingxuan, allowing her to use the power of the wooden sculpture in battle.

“She might need a long time to think about and understand what happened when she was unconscious,” Du Xiangyang theorized. “It’s possible that she won’t be able to remember.”

“Can you learn anything from that wooden sculpture, Qin Lie?” Song Tingyu asked.

Qin Lie shook his head. “I tried, but there aren’t any messages or memories. Just a spirit diagram.”

“Then we can only wait for Jingxuan to remember.” Song Tingyu was also out of ideas.

Du Xiangyang carefully observed Xie Jingxuan.

“She doesn’t seem okay…” After a moment of hesitation, Du Xiangyang’s eyes flashed and he cautiously said, “She seems to be in a wondrous state. Look at her… although she wears a dazed expression, powerful fluctuations are clearly radiating from her.”

Upon having this pointed out to them, Qin Lie and Song Tingyu focused and turned their attention to the state that Xie Jingxuan was in.

Green waves would occasionally emanate from her, making her life force seem even more lively.

A strong blood energy came from her body. Every cell, blood vessel, and muscle seemed to contain a significant amount of life force.

Xie Jingxuan’s soul was at peace, and her body incessantly moved as though it were transforming in a certain way.

“This should be some sort of life cleansing process. Life energy is the energy of the body. Her life energy is receiving a considerable boost. She probably consumed a substantial amount of the Spring of Life. The spring water in that well was formed from the blood energy of the Wood Race clansmen. Those very clansmen had taken control of Xie Jingxuan’s soul and thoughts. Her body is changing… I cannot ascertain why.”

“Gaaaaah!!”

Xie Jingxuan suddenly gripped her head, unleashing a horrible scream.

She seemed to be in great pain.

“What’s happening?!” Song Tingyu’s expression twisted in worry.

Tendrils of smoke came out of Xie Jingxuan’s body. The smoke was a grassy green and filled with the energy of nature. If one looked closely, they would find that the smoke constantly changed into strange, curved threads.

They resembled the shapes of leaves and trees. They were complex and exquisite and felt as though they contained the laws of the universe.

“Her face!” Du Xiangyang shouted.

An invisible brush seemed to be painting the patterns on her body, carefully carving her.

The exquisite green patterns were on her face, her neck, and all of her exposed white skin. They flashed with green light.

“This is a wondrous inheritance method!” Du Xiangyang exclaimed with an expression of shock.

“Inheritance? The inheritance of the Wood Race clansmen?” Qin Lie was also shocked.

“Yes!” Du Xiangyang inhaled sharply, his expression grave. “She has gained a blessing in disguise. Although I don’t know the details, I’m sure that this is some kind of inheritance of the Wood Race clansmen. The patterns of leaves and trees that are appearing on her skin are all transformations of the wood spirit art and an expression of life energy!”

“Let’s protect her.” Qin Lie laughed.

“This is great!” Song Tingyu wore a happy expression.

“An inheritance means the acceptance of a spirit art, inherited memories, and duties. If she’s lucky, she may also learn about the history of the Wood Race and what happened in the recent past.” Du Xiangyang rubbed his chin, interest piqued. “She might actually obtain information about the origin and powers of that wooden sculpture that you so desire.”

Qin Lie’s eyes lit up.

“Let’s guard Jingxuan while we recover our spirit energy.” Song Tingyu’s smile was happy and relaxed.

She sat down next to Xie Jingxuan with her legs in the lotus position. She took spirit stones out from her spatial ring. With her eyes half-closed, she started to absorb the power of the spirit stones.

“Good idea.”

Du Xiangyang also sat down with a smile. He took out a Heavenly Flame Crystal and started using it to replenish his fire spirit energy.

Seeing these two become quiet, Qin Lie did not speak. He smiled and moved a bit further from them two before taking out the Demon Sealing Tombstone once more.

Qin Lie wanted to cultivate using the Demon Sealing Tombstone and learn about its mysteries. He wanted to see the state of the wood spirit sealed inside of it.

Extending a finger, he moved to touch the surface of the Demon Sealing Tombstone and was about to examine it with his mind when a vast, lively presence suddenly flooded out of it!

This presence was wood spirit energy. It was great and vast and made him feel as though he were suffocating.

At the same time, an intense heat came from his chest.

That heat was the presence of the Fire Qilin!

“Ah!” Qin Lie exclaimed in shock.

He saw three drops of emerald liquid slowly being squeezed from the surface of the Demon Sealing Tombstone.

—just like the three drops of Fire Qilin blood!

The three jade-like drops of liquid resembled spring water from a deep mountain, faded green and clear.

The three drops of emerald liquid flashed, coming to a sudden stop in Qin Lie’s palm.

It was as if the Demon Sealing Tombstone were giving him a present!

The three drops of liquid rippled with light. Three tiny tree seedlings could be seen inside of them.

They were tiny yet beautiful, and were just like the Fire Qilin shapes within the three blood essences.

Just as shock and confusion struck Qin Lie, the three drops of emerald liquid entered his hand and flowed into his blood vessels.

His blood immediately exuded a dense life energy. In that moment, Qin Lie felt that his life energy had begun to surge and flourish.

Qin Lie’s eyes lit up with happiness. He became excited and almost couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

These were the lifeblood essences that the Demon Sealing Tombstone extracted from the wood spirit after refining it!

Qin Lie owned the Demon Sealing Tombstone and used it to seal the wood spirit. He helped the Demon Sealing Tombstone in fulfilling its wish, so it gave him a reward—

—just like when he used the Demon Sealing Tombstone to absorb the Fire Qilin and create the three blood essences in the process.

Qin Lie came to a sudden realization.

If he could locate the body of a spirit within the Forbidden Lands and seal them, he would be able to reap rewards.

He immediately identified a goal to strive for.

“Just like with the Fire Qilin blood, since the wood spirit’s lifeblood essences are inside of my blood, I can refine it with the Blood Refinement Art and have them become my own blood essences!” Qin Lie was excited.

Qin Lie sat down next to the Demon Sealing Tombstone. Concentrating on sensing the drops of emerald liquid, he used his own blood to slowly envelop them.

He gradually released his soul consciousness, using it to slowly enter the wood spirit’s lifeblood essences like invisible tentacles and permeate them.

This was the Blood Refinement Art recorded in the Blood Codex.

Chapter 472: Hallucination

The three drops of emerald liquid had been created after the Demon Sealing Tombstone refined the wood spirit.

These droplets melted into Qin Lie’s blood, causing a strong, seemingly infinite amount of vitality to awaken inside of his flesh and blood, making his entire body feel extremely relaxed.

He immediately tried to refine it with the Blood Refinement Art.

The Blood Refinement Art recorded in the Blood Codex allowed one to increase the purity of their blood, turning it into magical, everlasting blood essence.

This process could, to an extent, purify blood that lacked residual will. By gradually immersing the blood in one’s body with their own soul consciousness, one would be able to imprint their own will upon the purified blood and form blood essence.

The three drops of refined Fire Qilin blood had been slowly refined and transformed in this way.

Not only would the three drops of refined Fire Qilin blood be considered his own purified blood essences, they also contained his soul imprints

That was the only reason why he could communicate with and control them with his mind.

Qin Lie was now beginning that process once more.

Since the emerald drops of liquid did not contain impurities, residual souls, or memory fragments after being refined by the Demon Sealing Tombstone, they could already be considered pure lifeblood essences that were extremely suitable for refinement.

As Qin Lie thought about this, the thick, viscous blood in his veins and arteries moved in according to the Blood Spirit Art and quietly converged on the center of his palm.

His palm slowly turned a strange sanguine color as blood vessel after blood vessel became visible, faintly revealing the feverish red blood within.

Thin currents of blood gathered at Qin Lie’s palm. At the same time, he focused his mind and began to meditate, dividing all of the memories and thoughts in his Soul Lake into separate wisps.

These soul wisps resembled invisible spirit lines as they dissolved into the thin currents of his blood and marked them with his soul energy and soul imprints.

“Glug glug!”

As the strange sound of boiling blood emanated out from within Qin Lie’s blood red palm, it seemed to become a roiling spring of blood.

Like blindingly bright stars, three emerald dots of light flashed inside of his palm.

Those lights were the drops of the wood spirit’s lifeblood essence that had emerged from the Demon Sealing Tombstone!

“With my blood as the fire and my soul as the guide, Blood Refinement Art!”

A crimson glow suddenly shone in Qin Lie’s eyes as a streak of bloody light shot out from the crown of his head like a bloody rainbow piercing through the sky.

Wave after wave of fierce blood energy fluctuations continuously surged outward from his body, saturating the area around him with a wild, violent energy.

Blood red smoke began to escape from Qin Lie’s palm as his blood frenziedly burned and boiled.

Within his blistering blood, wisp after wisp of his unique soul imprints slowly penetrated the three emerald drops of liquid, like faint smoke infusing into three immature, delicate seedlings.

Time swiftly passed.

Within the silent forest, Qin Lie refined the blood essences using the Blood Refinement Art. In the distance, Xie Jingxuan was in the process of receiving an ancient inheritance, while Du Xiangyang and Song Tingyu were recovering spirit energy and guarding her at the same time.

Six more hours passed by quickly.

Du Xiangyang was the first to finish recovering. He glanced at Xie Jingxuan beside him, then looked up and observed Song Tingyu who was still recovering. He eventually stood up quietly.

“What is it?” Song Tingyu opened her eyes.

“It’s been quite a while since there was any movement in the area that brat Qin Lie is in. I’m going to go take a look,” Du Xiangyang said, clearly confused.

Although Qin Lie had left by himself to cultivate with the assistance of the Demon Sealing Tombstone, Du Xiangyang had long since detected the intense waves of blood energy created by Qin Lie’s usage of the Blood Refinement Art to refine the lifeblood essences.

In spite of this, Du Xiangyang had spent all this time enduring, refraining from asking questions or going over to pry.

He knew that everyone had secrets. For Qin Lie to deliberately move so far away, it was clear that this secret was something he didn’t want anyone to know about.

Du Xiangyang was very disciplined. He had not gone and troubled Qin Lie, nor had he tried to get to the bottom of this.

But now, six hours later, the intense waves of blood energy coming from the direction that Qin Lie was in had not shown any signs of stopping and had instead grown even more turbulent. This shocked Du Xiangyang quite a bit.

“I’m afraid that fellow may have encountered some trouble,” Du Xiangyang said, his heart filled with concern.

Song Tingyu’s brows furrowed.

Since Xie Jingxuan was still undergoing her inheritance transformation and temporarily couldn’t be disturbed, it would be best for them to stay by her side and guard her.

Song Tingyu was completely aware of the Blood Spirit Art that Qin Lie cultivated, and had also felt the intense waves of blood energy emanating from his direction. She had originally planned to leave guarding Xie Jingxuan to Du Xiangyang while she went to check on Qin Lie’s condition.

After a moment of deep thought, however, she realized that she didn’t actually understand Du Xiangyang that well. In fact, she was not familiar with him at all.

She couldn’t trust him.

“Qin Lie shouldn’t be having any problems. You don’t need to worry about him. He… probably doesn’t want anyone to disturb him,” Song Tingyu eventually said.

Du Xiangyang went blank for a moment, then nodded.

“Alright then,” he said as he sat down again.

Under an ancient tree.

On top of the Demon Sealing Tombstone that stood behind Qin Lie, seven rays of divine light mingled together to form a flickering, blinding radiance. Because of this, the Demon Sealing Tombstone, which wasn’t that tall, radiated an incomparably mysterious feeling that permeated the forest.

Completely focused on refining the three drops of lifeblood essence in his palm, Qin Lie continuously consumed ray after ray of bloody light that floated above him. He didn’t dare to relax for even a moment.

He was currently on the verge of succeeding.

Suddenly, an elegant shadow approached the area. The figure seemed to have wanted to pass by quickly, but it came to an abrupt stop after inadvertently glancing around and seeing Qin Lie, who was clearly in a critical situation, under the Demon Sealing Tombstone.

“Hm?!”

Huang Zhuli stopped in her tracks, not daring to get too close to Qin Lie as she quickly hid herself behind a tree and secretly observed the scene before her.

She stood there and observed Qin Lie’s every move.

After quietly snooping around for a while, her eyes shone with a cold luster as she came to a few realizations. “Such an intense, fiendish blood energy! This Qin Lie clearly cultivates the evil arts of Blood Fiend Sect—he must be a remnant of that sect! No wonder he risked his life to protect Xue Moyan. So it was actually like this…”

After observing for a while, Huang Zhuli silently sneered. The corners of her mouth dripped with murderous intent as she silently began to circulate the spirit arts of Illusory Demon Sect.

Streaks of flowing light gathered on her face as if drawn on by a mysterious divine brush. A moment later, her appearance had become that of Xue Moyan.

Her cold, frosty eyes transformed into a pair that were bright and clear. In an instant, even her grace and aura had transformed to be similar to Xue Moyan’s.

Taking out a crystal mirror, Huang Zhuli made several more modifications to her appearance until even she couldn’t even see any flaws. Then, she quietly approached Qin Lie.

Within the Graveyard of Gods, the air was completely devoid of spirit energy. This resulted in the spirit sense of practitioners being greatly stifled.

In this place, there were times where one’s own eyes were even more useful than one’s spirit sense.

Therefore, Qin Lie only sensed Huang Zhuli’s subtle movements when she was ten meters away from him. He immediately opened his eyes.

“Xue Moyan!” Qin Lie was surprised at first, then immediately regained his calm as he casually chuckled and asked, “Do you finally understand?”

Since Qin Lie was still in the process of refining the lifeblood essence using the Blood Refinement Art, he assumed that Xue Moyan had, like last time, been drawn by the intense blood energy fluctuations.

“I understand. So you’re a part of my Blood Fiend Sect.” Huang Zhuli gently nodded, then asked, “What I’m curious about is, how did you obtain the Blood Spirit Art that I cultivate, and how do you know that I’m from Blood Fiend Sect?”

“Haha, the ties between us are much deeper than you think. I’m not helping you simply because I cultivate the same Blood Spirit Art,” Qin Lie frankly said, believing the person before him to be Xue Moyan. “I’m helping you because of your father! Before I entered the Graveyard of Gods, your father begged me to do everything I could to help you. Your father… he is still alive.”

A strange shine suddenly emerged from Huang Zhuli’s eyes.

Blood Fiend Sect’s former sect leader, Xue Li, who had turned the heavens and the earth upside down a thousand years ago was still alive?

Her mind was filled with shock.

“Do you not believe my words?” Qin Lie grinned, then nodded. “Frankly speaking, it is certainly quite hard to believe, but don’t worry. I have something that can prove my words!”

As he spoke, he took the first half of the Blood Codex out of his spatial ring.

“This is Blood Fiend Sect’s founding scripture, the basis for all of its spirit arts—the Blood Codex!” Qin Lie exclaimed.

Huang Zhuli’s eyes took on a bright glow as she asked, “Can I look at it for a moment?”

“Of course.” Qin Lie handed the half of the Blood Codex over without thinking twice.

From his point of view, he was facing Xue Moyan, the true heir of Blood Fiend Sect and Xue Li’s biological daughter.

She was definitely the most qualified person to hold the Blood Codex.

Qin Lie didn’t have any doubts whatsoever as he handed the first half of the Blood Codex over to Huang Zhuli.

The glow in Huang Zhuli’s eyes became even brighter as she received the Blood Codex, her hands trembling.

As the founding scripture of Blood Fiend Sect, the Blood Codex was a treasure that Black Voodoo Cult had been secretly searching for all this time!

Very few people were aware of this, but Blood Fiend Sect and Black Voodoo cult were the two oldest forces to exist in all of the Land of Chaos.

Blood Fiend Sect was founded by the Blood Progenitor, whereas Black Voodoo Cult was founded by the Voodoo Progenitor. Even in ancient times, the two forces had been enemies. That competitive relationship still continued today.

The eradication of Blood Fiend Sect could be blamed on Jiang Zhuzhe, the Su Family, the Lin Family, and the Xiahou Family, but Black Voodoo Cult was the true culprit. They had been secretly pulling the strings the entire time.

“What luck! I’ve actually managed to get my hands on the Blood Codex!” Huang Zhuli celebrated inwardly.

Chapter 473: Hidden Pawn!

The Blood Codex was a blood red bone piece of jade. It was as big as a person’s palm and as translucent as a bloodstone. Bloody light circulated within it.

The moment Huang Zhuli received the Blood Codex, she could not suppress the joy that leaped to her eyes. Her lips also curled into a satisfied smile.

No one knew that she secretly belonged to Black Voodoo Cult. No one was aware that she had been keeping in touch with Ye Yihao either. She was the reason why Illusory Demon Sect’s Little Wan and Little Die had been bitten and controlled by voodoo insects.

She was also the first one to blame Qin Lie for that.

“This half of the Blood Codex was personally given to me by your father. It is the foundation of Blood Fiend Sect,” Qin Lie said solemnly.

“Very good! You’ve done very well!” Huang Zhuli could not contain her joy.

Not only did she manage to steal a bucketful of water from the Spring of Life from Xue Moyan, she now obtained the Blood Codex from Qin Lie’s very hands.

She felt that her good luck was currently overflowing.

She no longer needed any rewards from the Graveyard of Gods. As long as she leave the Trial alive and give the first half of the Blood Codex to Black Voodoo Cult, she would immediately get everything she ever wanted!

She was drawing up beautiful delusions in her mind.

It was at this moment that a scarlet, bloody light erupted from the first half of the Blood Codex, blinding Qin Lie and Huang Zhuli!

“Boom!”

As if a flash flood were occurring on a mountain or a bloody dragon were breaking free from the shackles that imprisoned it, a powerful shockwave erupted.

Rays of scarlet light and the stench of blood spewed from Huang Zhuli’s hand.

“Crack!”

Huang Zhuli’s hands echoed with the sound of bones breaking.

When Qin Lie turned his attention to the sound, he was surprised to discover that the bones of one of “Xue Moyan’s” hands had exploded. The first half of Blood Codex, in the shape of a bone fragment, shot back to Qin Lie’s side like a beam of bloody light.

“Zzzt zzt zzzt!”

Rays of bloody light remained on “Xue Moyan’s” body, continuously attacking it and damaging an illusory power on it that was maintaining her appearance.

Amidst a spray of bloody light, “Xue Moyan’s” translucent skin cracked and shattered apart like an egg shell breaking to pieces, slowly revealing a different face.

“You’re not Xue Moyan! You’re the girl that was by her side!” Qin Lie’s face turned cold.

When Xue Li passed the Blood Codex on to him, he said that the Blood Progenitor had left behind an imprint inside of it. The imprint could detect and confirm the aura of those who cultivated the Blood Spirit Art.

Only those who cultivated the Blood Spirit Art and exuded a stench of blood could hold the Blood Codex.

As the all-important heir of Blood Fiend Sect, the real Xue Moyan would definitely cultivate the orthodox version of the Blood Spirit Art. This fact was indisputable!

No matter how good Huang Zhuli’s disguise was, she had never cultivated the Blood Spirit Art. Qin Lie hadn’t been able to tell, but the Blood Codex had discovered the truth.

As a result, the Blood Codex had directly broken Huang Zhuli’s Illusory Demon Sect illusory art.

When she saw Qin Lie’s face darken, she immediately flashed him a soft smile and said to Qin Lie in a gentle voice, “I’m Huang Zhuli. I was just kidding with you, so don’t be mad.”

She said this because she was hoping to find another chance to seize the Blood Codex.

“Just a joke, huh?” Qin Lie’s eyes glowed with a bloody light. “Have fun with this, then!”

“Roar!”

The scarlet red beams formed a bloody dragon that roared and moved to bite Huang Zhuli.

“Blood Dragon’s Roar!”

Qin Lie gave a sinister grin as bloody light shot from two of his fingers and compressed to form Blood Weeping Ghost Claws.

Alongside the blood dragon, two bloody claws that resembled steel anchors swiped at Huang Zhuli.

A bloody energy immediately enveloped the space where Huang Zhuli was standing, making her feel as if she were sinking deep into a pool of blood.

“Why are you acting like this?” Huang Zhuli coquettishly protested, gritting her teeth and refusing to give up. “Sister Xue told me to come find you. She wanted to leave with your group. I thought you were pretty interesting and just played with you a little. Don’t you think you’re being a little too sensitive?”

“Then I’ll restrain you and wait for Xue Moyan to arrive. She can explain things to me personally!” Qin Lie snorted coldly.

This girl had taken on Xue Moyan’s appearance and pointed out that he cultivated the Blood Spirit Art to get close to him.

She even knew about Xue Moyan’s true identity!

This was obviously too strange. Qin Lie had seen the fear in her eyes when the Blood Codex broke her illusory art.

He immediately guessed that something about her wasn’t right.

The bloody dragon, seemingly made of blood, angrily roared and tore toward Huang Zhuli, a visage of terror and evil.

It attempted to tear Huang Zhuli to pieces.

At almost the same time, Du Xiangyang and Song Tingyu cried out as they swiftly approached Qin Lie and Huang Zhuli from a distance.

Huang Zhuli instantly realized that she was in trouble.

The bitter smile on her face quickly disappeared, and her eyes gradually became cold. Even her heartbeat took an extremely bizarre turn.

A terrifying voodoo insect openly appeared on her snow white neck. It was a black scorpion with a hook-like tail that was cold and sharp.

The voodoo insect seemed to have been hiding in her body this entire time, feeding on her blood to survive.

At this moment, the pitch black scorpion flew out of her flesh and suddenly emitted a sharp whistling sound.

An evil soul-twisting aura spread from the scorpion’s body and spread in every direction like a wave.

“Pak pak pak!”

The blood dragon formed from Qin Lie’s blood spirit energy exploded in midair and shattered into numerous rays of bloody light, fading from existence.

The immense, evil energy even brushed the Blood Weeping Ghost Claws aside.

“Black Voodoo Cult!” Qin Lie yelled.

Accompanied by thunderous rumbling, the Astral Thunder Hammer flew out and gathered thick bolts of lightning, falling toward Huang Zhuli.

“Split the earth!”

Qin Lie summoned the power of the earth and caused an earthquake in front of him, constantly rocking Huang Zhuli.

In addition to that, the three blood essences that resembled bloodstones shot out, attempting to kill the voodoo insect

“Qin Lie!”

As they got closer, Du Xiangyang and Song Tingyu’s voices urgently rang out.

“Consider yourself lucky this time!” Huang Zhuli snorted with a cold expression.

Carrying the scorpion in her mouth, she turned around and left.

With a shake of her body, a black light blossomed from her back. Like a scorpion manipulating its tail, the light enabled her to escape like a flash of pitch black lightning. She vanished in the blink of an eye.

However, just from the vigor she displayed in that instant, she probably wasn’t any weaker than Ye Yihao!

It was clear that she was a hidden pawn of Black Voodoo Cult!”

Du Xiangyang and Song Tingyu rushed to Qin Lie’s side. Upon arrival, they discovered that Qin Lie was the only one around.

“What happened?” Song Tingyu asked anxiously.

“It was a girl from Illusory Demon Sect called Huang Zhuli or something. She almost fooled me.” Qin Lie chose not to pursue Huang Zhuli. Instead, he frowned and said, “She’s probably from Black Voodoo Cult. She has a voodoo insect in her, and judging from the rank of that voodoo insect, it might not be any weaker than Ye Yihao’s Eight-winged Centipede Queen.”

“She’s been hiding in Illusory Demon Sect all this time?” Du Xiangyang’s expression changed as he yelled, “This is bad! She’s probably harmed Xue Moyan and the other girls by the village!”

Qin Lie’s heart sank.

As of this moment, Huang Zhuli had obviously parted ways with Illusory Demon Sect. There could only be two explanations for this: either her identity was exposed or she had killed Xue Moyan and everyone else.

“She probably exposed her identity for the Spring of Life!” Song Tingyu said.

“That’s probably the case!” Du Xiangyang was thinking the same thing.

“No one is with Xie Jingxuan!” Qin Lie frowned and immediately ran in the direction she was in.

Du Xiangyang and Song Tingyu rushed to follow him.

“Whoosh whoosh whoosh!”

The earsplitting sound of spirit energy being discharged erupted from where Xie Jingxuan was.

Qin Lie’s group grew more and more anxious. They rushed toward Xie Jingxuan at top speed.

“Dammit! This is another tough nut to crack. She’s even harder to deal with than Xue Moyan’s group!” Huang Zhuli’s curse echoed from afar.

When Qin Lie arrived, he discovered that Huang Zhuli was trying to escape by walking in a strange manner that resembled a scorpion’s movements.

No one knew when Xie Jingxuan had woken up.

Her eyes glowed with a strange, emerald light. The spirit energy that formed around her was as flexible as vines and spirit snakes, extending and probing in every direction.

Every ribbon of green spirit light was filled with shocking amounts of energy!

“Whoosh whoosh whoosh!”

Like an ancient tree, the green vines around Xie Jingxuan’s body twisted, causing a crackling sound to spread through the air.

It seemed as though Huang Zhuli hadn’t been able to find any chances to attack Xie Jingxuan and, consequently did not manage to get anything from her. Seeing that Qin Lie and the others had rushed over, she had no choice but to back off.

Once Huang Zhuli escaped, the green halo in Xie Jingxuan’s eyes gradually subsided. The green ribbons of light extending from her body withdrew into her body one after another.

She seemed to have really awakened.

“The person that this wooden sculpture belonged to was called Ya Ji. He had used a gap in space to enter the Graveyard of Gods outside. He came here to search for something, and after he had arrived in the Forbidden Land of Wood, the wood spirit found him, captured him, and refined him.” Xie Jingxuan stared at Qin Lie calmly and said, “Those two wooden sculptures were made using an ancient wood like that of the wood spirit.”

Chapter 474: Black Crystal Sky Scorpion

Xie Jingxuan was obviously a bit different after she had awakened. Her body was surging with strong refined life energy, and her bright, glittering eyes were full of confidence.

“Jingxuan, have you made a breakthrough?” Song Tingyu’s eyes lit up.

“Mn. I am rather fortunate to be able to smoothly enter the late stage of the Netherpassage Realm,” Xie Jingxuan said calmly.

Prior to participating in the Trial in the Graveyard of Gods, she had been at the middle stage of the Netherpassage Realm. Her realm was a bit stronger than Qin Lie’s and slightly weaker than Song Tingyu’s.

On this trip, Qin Lie, Song Tingyu, Gao Yu, and Xie Jingxuan were participating in the Trial together.

Although Qin Lie and Gao Yu’s realms were slightly weaker than Xie Jingxuan and Song Tingyu’s, the spirit arts they cultivated were strange and unpredictable. Their true strength was actually quite formidable.

Song Tingyu was at the peak of the Netherpassage Realm. Her realm was the highest among everyone in the group. She was capable of protecting herself and possessed many spirit artifacts.

Xie Jingxuan had actually turned out to be the weakest among them.

In reality, she had been infected with the voodoo toxin not long after she entered the Graveyard of Gods and was the first to fall.

If she hadn’t accidentally stumbled upon the village and drank the impure water of the Spring of Life, she probably would’ve died a long time ago.

Now it could be said that she had gained something from all of the setbacks.

Not only had she received the Wood Race’s inheritance, she had even entered the late stage of the Netherpassage Realm in a smooth manner. Both her realm and her strength had massively increased.

This was why, even though Huang Zhuli had wanted to kill Xie Jingxuan while escaping, she had failed to get even the tiniest bit of benefits from her body. In the end, she could only curse while retreating.

After the inheritance was complete, Xie Jingxuan seemed to recall certain memories, so she immediately told Qin Lie about the wooden sculpture.

“Ya Ji? The wood used to make the wooden sculptures is the same as the wood spirit’s?” Qin Lie became excited. “What else did you find out? Can you recall anything else about Ya Ji and the wooden sculptures?”

“Ya Ji brought this wooden sculpture into the Graveyard of Gods He entered through a gap in space.” Xie Jingxuan’s tone was calm as she spoke of what she knew. “Ya Ji was an elite of the Wood Race. Someone trusted him to bring this wooden sculpture into this place. He also seemed to be looking for something. He called the person who gave him the wooden sculpture… Venerable One.”

Qin Lie’s mind reeled.

Ku Luo of the Horn Demon Race and other people called his grandfather Venerable One as well. The Horned Demon elite with eight horns who left the Nine Hell Evil Scripture inside of the White Bone Nether Spirit Altar also called Qin Lie’s grandfather Venerable One.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the person who gave the wooden sculpture to Ya Ji and instructed him to enter the Graveyard of Gods to search for something was most likely his grandfather, Qin Shan!

Qin Lie let out a sigh of relief.

Before he entered the Graveyard of Gods, he had been worried that the person who died there and became covered in thick layers of mist was his grandfather.

When his grandfather quietly left Ling Town and vanished without warning years ago, Qin Lie had already been worried that his grandfather might have gotten into an accident.

Although Qin Lie did not get any solid information from Xie Jingxuan, at the very least it was proven that Qin Shan wasn’t dead. This alone was good news to Qin Lie.

“What did Ya Ji hope to find in the Graveyard of Gods?” Qin Lie calmed down and changed the subject. “Do you have any idea?”

“After Ya Ji was refined, his soul and thought fragments were mixed with the Spring of Life. I have only drunk a portion of the Spring of Life, and the memories I obtained were also scattered and chaotic. I can only remember so much.” Xie Jingxuan shook her head.

“After the wood spirit was sealed by the Demon Sealing Tombstone, the Spring of Life inside the stone well was refined. Because of this, all of his soul and thought fragments have entirely dissipated. We may no longer be able to extract more memories.” Song Tinyu thought for a moment and sighed softly. “That Huang Zhuli girl abandoned Illusory Demon Sect. She must have fought against Xue Moyan and the others. Perhaps she even stole their Spring of Life…”

“That’s extremely likely!” Du Xiangyang yelled.

“Qin Lie, do you… want to return to the village and check?” Song Tingyu knew that he promised Xue Li to do his best to help Xue Moyan. That’s why she asked him this.

“Never mind.” Qin Lie shook his head and frowned. “Too much time has passed. If something did happen, it happened a long time ago. Plus, if Xue Moyan and the others are still alive, they won’t necessarily be at the village still. They might be searching everywhere for Huang Zhuli.”

“That’s right.” Du Xiangyang nodded.

“Let’s go. The Forbidden Land of Wood is no longer worth staying in. We will head to the land covered in lightning,” Qin Lie exclaimed softly.

Song Tingyu and the others nodded in agreement.

……

A dozen or so kilometers away, Xue Moyan and Pan Qianqian walked through tall bushes with icy expressions on their faces.

“I can’t believe that Little Li is actually a member of Black Voodoo Cult!” Pan Qianqian ground her teeth until they popped. “Not only did she kill Manman, she even stole the Spring of Life. Even I was nearly infected with the voodoo toxin. S-she…”

A trace of blood on Xue Moyan’s left arm stood out. She had obviously been injured in combat.

“It wasn’t just Manman. She may have killed Little Wan and Little Die as well,” Xue Moyan said harshly, pursing her lips. “She wasn’t much weaker than Ye Yihao. The voodoo insect inside her body is the Black Crystal Sky Scorpion. Just like the Eight-winged Centipede Queen, it is one of Black Voodoo Cults unusual breeds of voodoo insects. It has an intelligence comparable to a human’s, must be raised with its practitioner’s own blood, and shares a connection with its practitioner’s soul! This type of voodoo insect can only be obtained, bred, and raised by the most important disciples of Black Voodoo Cult.”

“Sister Xue, are you saying that Huang Zhuli has an incredibly high status in Black Voodoo Cult?”

“Her status probably isn’t any lower than Ye Yihao’s!” Xue Moyan said with an icy expression, softly gritting her teeth “She is even more hateful than Ye Yihao!”

Including Little Die and Little Wan, a total of six Illusory Demon Sect girls were killed one after another.

In Xue Moyan’s eyes, these six sisters had all been directly or indirectly killed by Huang Zhuli.

She was the true culprit behind everything!

“Sister Xue, s-she took the Spring of Life. Will that affect you?” Pan Qianqian asked softly.

Xue Moyan’s eyes went dim as she quietly said, “It’s fine. It is of little short term consequence. At the very least, I will be fine without the Spring of Life while in the Graveyard of Gods.”

“Sister Xue, you insisted on entering the Graveyard of the Gods for the Spring of Life, didn’t you?” Pan Qianqian asked.

“Let’s not bring this matter up again. Right now, finding the rest of our sisters is the most important thing. We must not let Huang Zhuli find them first!”

“Ah!” Pan Qianqian’s expression changed.

She had also thought of the worst case scenario.

The girls in their group were not the only Illusory Demon Sect participants who had entered the Graveyard of Gods. Some were scattered to other locations upon entering.

At a certain distance, Huang Zhuli would be able to sense other Illusory Demon Sect participants using the sect’s unique token. The moment she discovered the scattered members, there probably wouldn’t be any chance of the Illusory Demon Sect girls surviving her evil hands.

They would be killed one after another, just like their six dead sisters.

……

At the center of six large trees.

Ye Yihao and the martial practitioners of the three great families were seated cross-legged on the ground and recovering using spirit stones.

The crowd’s expressions were immeasurably dark.

At first they thought that they’d be able to do whatever they wanted in the Forbidden Land of Wood after Ye Yihao and the wood spirit formed a soul contract.

In the end, the wood spirit had actually been sealed by the Demon Sealing Tombstone, and the rest of them weren’t able to do anything to the combined forces of Terminator Sect, Illusory Demon Sect, and Heavenly Sword Mountain. They had no choice but to helplessly retreat.

This was the second time they suffered such a terrible defeat.

The first time, they lured Luo Chen in and surrounded Chu Li. Using the voodoo toxin’s influence, they forced Xue Moyan, Ten Thousand Beast Mountain, and Heavenly Sword Mountain to stand by and watch.

If it weren’t for Qin Lie’s sneak attack with the intense Fire Qilin flames, forcing the Eight-winged Centipede Queen to lose control of the people who had been poisoned, they would’ve already won at that time.

“It was all because of that bastard Qin Lie!” A faint wound marred one side of Su Yan’s face, spoiling her beauty. Su Yan’s eyes shone with a hateful light, and with a cold face, she said, “If it weren’t for Qin Lie’s flames, and later on the blood he took from the Eight-winged Centipede Queen, those people would’ve been severely injured if not dead!”

“This time, it was because he had the Demon Sealing Tombstone as well!” The bald Xiahou Yuan snorted coldly.

“If he hadn’t cured the voodoo toxin afflicting Xie Jingxuan with a drop of voodoo insect blood, that woman would not have been able to hurt the wood spirit. You also wouldn’t have failed a second time!”

It was at this moment that Huang Zhuli’s voice rang out from an ancient tree nearby.

Her eyes were cold, and she overflowed with arrogance. She actually walked towards the crowd calmly.

“She’s that girl from Illusory Demon Sect!” Su Yan smiled coldly.

“You’re looking to die, huh?” Xiahou Yuan laughed sinisterly as he got ready to attack.

“You bunch of trash!” Huang Zhuli snorted. “What have you three great families been doing? If Xue Moyan doesn’t die here and manages to obtain the Spring of Life, she’ll be able to save her mother and revitalize Blood Fiend Sect! Her father has also returned from overseas. When Blood Fiend Sect emerges once more, it will also signify the end of the three great families of the Heavenly Calamity Continent!”

Her words shocked Su Yan and the others.

Some Black Voodoo Cult martial practitioners were also looking at her in surprise.

Ye Yihao was the only one whose expression didn’t change. “Why have you come, senior sister? Have you finished off everyone at Illusory Demon Sect?”

The moment he said this, the three great families, and even the martial practitioners of Black Voodoo Cult, were shocked by his words.

Senior sister?

Huang Zhuli was actually Ye Yihao’s senior sister?!

“I only managed to get the Spring of Life and kill another Illusory Demon Sect girl. Xue Moyan and Pan Qianqian are still alive. Xue Moyan… isn’t so easy to deal with,” Huang Zhuli said with a sinister expression, then snorted. “I’ve killed six Illusory Demon Sect members throughout the Trial. What about all of you? Despite the fact that there are so many of you, have you succeeded in anything at all?”

Ye Yihao frowned in silence.

The three great families and the martial practitioners of Black Voodoo Cult had already recovered from their earlier surprise. Upon hearing her words, they all looked ashamed and were unable to say anything in response.

“Something interesting happened after you guys left. That Qin Lie… he told everyone to give their share of the Spring of Life to Xue Moyan. Do you know why?” Huang Zhuli looked everyone in the group in disdain.

This news shocked all of them.

“He’s a surviving member of Blood Fiend Sect, just like Xue Moyan! Blood Fiend Sect’s Blood Codex is in his possession!” Huang Zhuli laughed coldly. “But the funny thing is, you people don’t know anything about this!”

“Please guide us, senior sister!” Ye Yihao said solemnly.

“From here on out, I will take charge of this group!” Huang Zhuli snorted. “I will also take care of our future plans!”

“Alright.” Ye Yihao was the first to nod in agreement.