Chapter 178 - 106: Immeasurable Sand World, Demon Sea Bronze Palace

Chapter 178: Chapter 106: Immeasurable Sand World, Demon Sea Bronze Palace

"Rather than charging in recklessly, I should sneak in and investigate the situation first." After a moment’s thought, Xuzhuang settled on a plan. ’A perfect opportunity to test out my demon-refining techniques,’ he mused.

After all, Xuzhuang had left behind a lure for the Celestial Demon known as the Great Freedom Profound Monarch Six Marvelous Jade Muddy Heavenly Son back with Master Yuanhua and Daochen Zhenren. He intended to use the resulting demonic tribulation as nourishment for his own cultivation, and he certainly hadn’t come unprepared.

In fact, he had long begun to study the True Demon Refining Technique from the *Primordial Venerable Dao Transmission and Demon Refining Scripture*, though he had not been in a hurry to actively cultivate it. One reason was that Xuzhuang, having mastered the three great true transmissions of Tai Su, felt his foundation was already so profound that it paradoxically made further cultivation difficult. It wasn’t that he was afraid to build an even deeper foundation, but making choices is a crucial part of every Cultivator’s path.

Another reason was the unique nature of the True Demon Refining Technique in the *Primordial Venerable Dao Transmission and Demon Refining Scripture*. The techniques within this scripture were split into two parts: one was the cultivation method, and the other was the refinement process for eight types of life-bound Magical Artifacts. A Cultivator had to choose one of these Magical Artifacts to forge, bonding it with their very life force. Once done, both their cultivation and the life-bound Magical Artifact would advance together by leaps and bounds.

This method seemed somewhat similar to the path of Artifact Cultivators, which was also known in the Profound Yellow Realm. The difference, however, was that these eight life-bound Magical Artifacts were all forged from Celestial Demons, and the Divine Techniques they possessed were exceedingly strange.

The eight true techniques were divided into methods for forging three Top-Grade Magical Artifacts and five Middle-Grade Magical Artifacts. As for lower-grade magical artifacts, the scripture mentioned many others, but they were not significant enough to be classified as true techniques.

Among these three Top-Grade Magical Artifacts was one called the Celestial Will Demon Form Talisman. It possessed incredible Divine Techniques, was forged from a Formless Celestial Demon, and was the ultimate treasure for countering them.

Controlling demons, refining demons, and turning them to one’s own use—these were the fundamental methods of the Demon Sect. Xuzhuang had long resolved to forge this talisman to counter the Great Freedom Profound Monarch Six Marvelous Jade Muddy Heavenly Son, perhaps even refining the entity into the Celestial Will Demon Form Talisman itself to create a Supreme Treasure.

Of course, it was still far too early to be thinking about that. Xuzhuang’s understanding of the *Primordial Venerable Dao Transmission and Demon Refining Scripture* was still purely theoretical, but that didn’t stop him from borrowing some of its lesser techniques.

Xuzhuang scanned his surroundings and found a massive, muscle-bound demon beast. Among the countless mangled corpses, its body was relatively intact. Deciding it would do, he flicked his finger. A strand of Sword Qi shot out, slicing across the monster’s belly and neatly peeling away its hide.

Xuzhuang blew gently. A faint breeze washed over the hide, whisking away all the blood and gore. The pelt’s original glossy black sheen was revealed. Unfazed, Xuzhuang took a pinch of cinnabar from his sleeve and sprinkled it onto the hide. The cinnabar granules automatically arranged themselves into lines of runes before vanishing completely.

Having completed this step, Xuzhuang channeled a breath of Magical Power into it, formed a hand seal for a Magic Formula, and pointed. The hide instantly swelled, rapidly taking on the form of the original muscle-bound beast. A savage light ignited in its eyes as it rose to its feet, exuding a fearsome demonic presence.

Xuzhuang, of course, was not afraid. He simply smiled, summoned the ethereal image that tracked Meng Fusheng’s aura, and leaped into the beast’s mouth. He then commanded the creature to close its great maw and, with a powerful leap, it passed through the barrier into the next dimension.

As expected, this space was crammed full of every kind of Celestial Demon. Celestial Demons are chaotic beings, and they were tearing into each other everywhere. The moment the demon beast carrying Xuzhuang entered, its massive body was instantly pinned, unable to move. Simultaneously, monsters on both sides began to bite and claw at it.

Xuzhuang directed the demon beast to thrash about. Bolstered by his Magical Power, it instantly tore open a gap and brutally forced its way in.

To the other Celestial Demons, the beast Xuzhuang commanded was just another one of their kind. Seeing its ferocity, they didn’t swarm it, but instead scrambled to get out of its way. In this manner, Xuzhuang, hidden inside the beast, essentially "swam" through the demonic horde, carving a path as he squeezed his way deeper inside.

It took nearly half an hour to cross that short distance and reach the next barrier. The scene ahead was the same, except the deeper he went, the greater the variety and strength of the demons became. Fortunately for Xuzhuang, sparing a bit of extra Magical Power to bolster his beast was no issue, so he was able to press on in the same fashion.

After passing through four or five such layers, Xuzhuang’s expression suddenly shifted. The ethereal image of Meng Fusheng’s aura beside him flickered, appearing a fraction more solid.

’It can still pick up his aura amidst countless Celestial Demons?’ Xuzhuang mused. ’Looks like I’m getting close.’ He immediately drove the demon beast onward in pursuit.

He hadn’t gone much farther before the image picked up another trace of the aura. However, the Celestial Demons ahead were now piled up like a mountain. The beast Xuzhuang was commanding couldn’t even claw open a gap. He tried several different directions but could find no way through. He had the vague sense that the demons had gone into a frenzy, piling on top of each other to form a massive sphere, though he couldn’t tell what was at its core.

’If I can’t get through, I’ll just have to force my way.’ Xuzhuang considered for a moment. Though he had seen innumerable Celestial Demons so far, none had been difficult to handle. He hadn’t encountered a single truly powerful one, which made his caution feel like a wasted effort. He wasn’t the type to agonize over such decisions, and his hesitation vanished.

Xuzhuang stood and flicked his sleeves. A Gangyun cloud rose slowly from the crown of his head. With a flash of white light, a Jade Pendant emerged from within the cloud. It was translucent white, missing a corner, and carved with the image of a three-headed, six-armed venerable figure.

The next moment, the Ming Venerable’s Image Pendant erupted in a blaze of glory. Beams of pure white light, so vast they seemed to connect heaven and earth, shot out from it in all directions.

This demon-purging treasure had been in Xuzhuang’s possession for a long time. Now, with the rare opportunity to face Celestial Demons, it finally unleashed its true power. Wherever the light passed, the demons were reduced to ash, leaving not even a wisp of Demonic Qi behind. In a mere moment, the entire dimension was purged of its demonic presence.

Xuzhuang looked down. Where the demonic swarm had been clustered, a transparent barrier shimmered like a Glazed Pearl. Light flowed across its surface, showing that it had been completely unharmed by the Celestial Demons’ attacks. Within the barrier stood a completely sealed, rust-covered Bronze Palace.

’Is Nephew Meng in there?’ At the thought, the ethereal image of Meng Fusheng’s aura stirred, flew downward, passed straight through the glazed barrier, and came to a stop before the Bronze Palace.

’Is it because of Nephew Meng’s aura, or does it simply not restrict living beings?’ Xuzhuang raised an eyebrow. He floated down, and cloaked in his Purple Qi Xiaoyi, he touched the barrier. It rippled like the surface of water, allowing him to pass through.

By now, more demons had passed through the dimensional walls and were swarming him from all sides, shrieking incessantly. Xuzhuang snorted, brandished the Ming Venerable’s Image Pendant again, and another sweep of white light annihilated them all. Only then did he recall his Gangyun, pass through the glazed barrier, and descend toward the Bronze Palace.

The palace was entirely sealed, making it impossible to enter from above. Xuzhuang could only land before it. As he looked up, he was greeted by a strange sight: the main entrance had two seams, indicating a set of double doors, but there were three separate door panels.

A faceless figure was carved on each door panel. The central figure’s posture was normal. The figures on the left and right, however, both had their heads tilted. One had its arms raised high, while the other held its arms out horizontally.

A thought struck Xuzhuang: ’Don’t these three figures together look like a three-headed, six-armed being?’ Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought and placed his palm on one of the doors. He felt no restrictive spell on it and, with a gentle push, it swung open.

He stepped into a long corridor. The ceiling, floor, and walls were all cast from bronze, which did not surprise Xuzhuang. What did surprise him was the noticeable lack of rust inside the palace.

Xuzhuang performed a minor Tracing Technique, guiding the ethereal image of Meng Fusheng’s aura to continue gathering traces as they proceeded deeper. The bronze door swung shut behind him, but his expression remained unchanged. When he reached the end of the corridor, he found not a main hall, but a sudden fork in the path.

A look of surprise crossed Xuzhuang’s face, but not because of the fork. He was stunned to find that Meng Fusheng’s aura permeated every single one of the passages ahead.

The ethereal image he controlled had followed the remnants of Meng Fusheng’s aura, essentially retracing his nephew’s steps to this very spot. Here, however, it had become completely useless.

P.S. Sorry for the late Chapter. I was busy with the Qingming Festival, and the writing wasn’t flowing very smoothly. Thank you for your patience, everyone.