Chapter 438 - 405: A Million Corpses

Chapter 438: Chapter 405: A Million Corpses

"What rich True Demon Qi... This realm is truly worthy of being called the Demon Realm!"

As they entered the Demon Realm, the True Demon’s face showed a look of intoxication, and he sighed with emotion.

Chu Mu’s face was ashen, drained of all color.

The wrath of a Nascent Soul expert... even the slightest aftershock was an absolutely unbearable weight for him to bear!

According to his Divine Sense Perception, his organs had been displaced, and his Divine Soul was in disarray.

And this was clearly the result of the True Demon intentionally sparing his life.

The gap of two Grand Realms was almost unimaginable!

’And this Demon Realm...’

Upon entering this Demon Realm, the True Demon’s Nascent Soul Cultivation aura was on full display, yet no adverse changes occurred.

Without a doubt, although this realm shared the same origin as the Secret Realm, it didn’t have the same harsh restrictive rules.

’Even if I’m lucky enough to still be alive, before a Nascent Soul True Demon who can decide my fate with a single thought...’

Chu Mu gazed at the dead land and dim sky before him, a bitter despair welling up in his heart.

’In the end, my Cultivation is still too weak. When facing an existence far more terrifying than myself, I have so little control over my own fate.’

"My young friend, you must have some misunderstanding about me..."

After sighing emotionally for a while, the True Demon finally turned to Chu Mu, his expression once again becoming amiable.

"You need not worry, young friend. I was forced to act this way. Once this matter is concluded, I will personally escort you out of this Secret Realm!"

Chu Mu was silent for a good while before forcing a smile. "I understand."

The True Demon nodded and said no more. He scanned the surroundings before turning to give Li Xiu and Xu Ning their orders.

"You two, go scout the surrounding area. Remember, this Demon Realm was once the core stronghold for the Demon Realm’s invasion. Although the Demon Race has long since departed, this place is undoubtedly fraught with danger..."

After receiving their instructions, Li Xiu and his wife acknowledged the command, leaped into the air, and vanished into the desolate landscape.

Only then did the True Demon look back at Chu Mu, asking with feigned concern, "We haven’t gone deep into the Demon Realm yet, so this area is still relatively safe."

"Young friend, you should recover from your injuries here and complete the Refinement of the Earth Spirit Flame as quickly as possible."

"I understand."

Chu Mu replied, then turned and casually found an empty spot to sit down. He threw out an isolation Restriction, sealing off the True Demon Qi. Several Spirit Stones shattered, and within this small patch of land in the Demon Realm, wisps of pure Spiritual Qi enveloped him.

’As for my safety? As long as I’m still useful, this True Demon will surely care more about my well-being than I do myself.’

The True Demon glanced at Chu Mu, who had already closed his eyes to heal, and the smile on his face gradually faded.

His gaze shifted, finally landing on the foolish-looking youth by his side.

The man’s eyes were a complex mix of regret, resentment, and fear—a tangle of emotions that eventually dissolved into a long sigh...

The man stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering in the wind, exuding an air of inexpressible loneliness...

...

「Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, more than half a month had passed.」

During that half-month, aside from Li Xiu and Xu Ning occasionally scouting on orders, Chu Mu remained in a state of near seclusion. While healing his injuries, he was also following the True Demon’s instructions, refining the Earth Spirit Flame.

Meanwhile, the True Demon, clearly worried Chu Mu might try to escape, stayed by the Spatial Rift with the youth, almost never leaving its side.

Within the isolation Array Prohibition, after more than half a month of Refinement, the flicker of Earth Spirit Flame had become as fragile as a candle in the wind, looking as if it could be extinguished at any moment.

Yet the Refinement process did not stop.

In his Dantian, the Great Sun True Flame flickered, still greedily absorbing the essence of the Earth Spirit Flame and rapidly growing stronger.

Under this process of absorption and consumption, the Great Sun True Flame seemed to be undergoing some kind of transformation.

Originally a nearly blinding crimson-gold, it became visibly more subdued during the process of consumption and Refinement.

Even when Chu Mu himself perceived the True Flame, he could hardly feel its heat unless he probed deep into its core.

But if one were to look deep within the core of the Great Sun True Flame, among the almost enchanting crimson hues, a terrifying Mighty Power surged. Compared to before it had refined the Earth Spirit Flame, the Mighty Power of the Great Sun True Flame had increased by a quantum leap!

With the Great Sun True Flame as its core, the Cultivation of the Great Sun Scripture also seemed to be undergoing a transformation as the flame’s Mighty Power increased.

His body’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit, tempered and nourished by the transforming Great Sun True Flame, were also imperceptibly changing, even though he wasn’t actively practicing his Cultivation.

Under this transformation, the threshold of Core Formation seemed to be getting closer and clearer.

When the last trace of the Earth Spirit Flame was refined, Chu Mu felt an instinctual thrum from his Great Sun True Flame and came to a realization.

’The core of the Great Sun Scripture’s Cultivation might not lie in advancing through realms, but in the Great Sun True Flame itself.’

’It’s about how to make the Great Sun True Flame transform...’

’Just like now. By devouring the Earth Spirit Flame, the Great Sun True Flame’s Mighty Power and potential transformed and grew. As a result, the Great Sun Scripture, with the flame as its core, naturally became more profound.’

’If I have another opportunity to use the Great Sun True Flame to continue devouring other Spiritual Fires, as its Mighty Power and potential increase, the wonder and power of the Great Sun Scripture, this Ancient Technique, will probably be passively elevated to an unimaginable level.’

"So that’s how it is..."

Chu Mu let out a long breath. His gaze shifted from the cross-legged True Demon to the silent, dim world around him, and he didn’t know whether he should be happy or sad.

He should be happy that, by a stroke of luck, he had discovered the core mystery of the Great Sun Scripture. A grand path to heaven, one of transformation by devouring Spiritual Fires, had been revealed before him.

He should be sad that he was once again trapped, his chances of survival slim...

His gaze was distant, as if his mind had wandered far away.

It wasn’t until Li Xiu and his wife returned from their scouting mission that he dispelled the isolation Restriction and stepped into the Demon Realm, thick with True Demon Qi.

"Senior, this is the visual record from this scouting mission."

Li Xiu respectfully handed over a Jade Scroll.

The True Demon briefly inspected it, then turned to Chu Mu. Seeing the lingering afterglow of the True Flame, a hint of joy appeared on his face. "Young friend, have you completely refined the Earth Spirit Flame?"

"I have completed the task."

Chu Mu bowed deeply.

"Good!"

"With your True Flame to help, this old man’s journey will be like giving a tiger wings!"

"There is no time to lose. You will all follow me."

The True Demon laughed heartily. With those words and a wave of his sleeve, Chu Mu felt the Power of Imprisonment reappear and found himself involuntarily following the True Demon.

The sky was dim, the land utterly silent.

Chu Mu was quite familiar with the nearby terrain, thanks to the previous scouting by his Hunting Falcon Puppet. From the Spatial Rift, the surrounding thousands of miles were a flat, desolate wasteland with no change in terrain and not a single living creature to be seen.

About five thousand miles straight ahead seemed to be the ruins of an ancient battlefield.

Further on, even his repeatedly modified Hunting Falcon Puppet could not see. After all, with two realms separating them, being able to control a puppet with a simple core from a distance of five thousand miles was practically the limit of his current Artifact Refining Skill.

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Chu Mu seemed to come to terms with his situation. He let the Power of Imprisonment flow through him, not even needing to exert a shred of his own Power as he floated along with the wind.

A mere few thousand miles was but a stone’s throw for a Nascent Soul Great Power. In just a short while, a faint crimson color entered Chu Mu’s vision.

As they drew closer, that initial smear of crimson slowly transformed into a boundless, sprawling sea of blood...

The sky was dim, and under the swirling Demonic Qi, the light of the sun and moon was obscured. Across the endless wasteland stretched an endless expanse of corpses.

The viscous blood had flowed for tens of thousands of years, yet it seemed not to have completely congealed. Churned by the surging True Demon Qi, the blood still shimmered and rippled.

Amidst this spreading blood, countless Demon Corpses lay quietly on the ground. There were the towering True Demon Bodies, massive as mountains, and there were the dismembered limbs that filled the gullies...

Bizarrely shaped, a motley assortment of all kinds...

The Demonic Qi surged, stirring up a thick, bloody stench that wafted in all directions. The smell wasn’t pungent; instead, it carried a strangely pleasant fragrance. A light sniff was enough to make one feel inexplicably feverish, causing wicked thoughts to arise as one’s clear eyes began to turn crimson.

"Sever!"

Chu Mu snapped back to his senses. Heedless of the True Demon’s restraints on him, he let out a low cry, and his Sword Intent erupted, instantly shattering the wicked thoughts that had just begun to surface.

"This place is the site of a battle from the ancient Immortal Demon war," the True Demon began, his expression uncharacteristically grave as he lectured them. "Legend has it that when the Demon Realm invaded back then, the Cultivation Immortal Realm was no match for them. The Demon Realm’s army advanced with unstoppable momentum. Later, a few Great Divine Power Practitioners managed to contact the Upper Realm and entreat a Great Power from there to intervene, finally forcing the Demon Realm’s army to retreat."

"The millions of corpses here are all said to have been killed by that Great Power from the Upper Realm. The remnants of the Demon Realm fled in a panic, not even daring to collect the bodies..."

"Afterward, that Great Power split the Secret Realm in two, isolating the two realms, and this place has been silent ever since."

"Although there are no surviving members of the Demon Race here, in a place with so many corpses, transformed by the passage of time and saturated with such dense True Demon Qi, it’s impossible to say what sort of terrifying, evil creatures might have been born."

"Furthermore, this was the core stronghold for the Demon Realm’s invasion of the Cultivation Immortal Realm. Although they fled in a panic, with the two realms isolated, some of their defensive arrangements must still remain."

"All of you, calm your minds and steady your spirits. Follow me closely. Without my permission, no one is to recklessly use their Magical Power and Divine Sense!"

Chu Mu silently surveyed the endless, bloody scene before him, his heart filled with nothing but shock.

In a place with so many fallen bodies, from what he could see with his own eyes, there were a considerable number of terrifying Demon Race True Demon corpses.

These True Demons had clearly died suddenly. Their Demon Bodies were shattered and their Demon Blood had flowed out, but with the nourishment of the rich True Demon Qi here, their Demon Bodies were all extremely well-preserved.

’As long as one handles it correctly, extracting the corresponding True Demon Bloodline would not be difficult at all.’

’But...’

’How vast is this bloody land?’

’The Demon Corpses within it are innumerable!’

’If this bloody land were used as a source, how many Demon Cultivators with a True Demon Bloodline could be created... The number would also be countless!’

’If this True Demon intends to do that...’

Chu Mu shuddered, but then he gave a self-deprecating laugh. ’I can’t even protect myself, and here I am worrying about such things...’

...