Chapter 439 - 406: Corpse Mountain Blood Sea, Great Heng is Tyrannical

Chapter 439: Chapter 406: Corpse Mountain Blood Sea, Great Heng is Tyrannical

He advanced through the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea, one Demon Corpse after another passing before him. Their former Cultivation was not difficult to discern.

Demons were similar to Demon Beasts; most of them focused on Physical Cultivation.

One could clearly discern their Cultivation from the size of their bodies and the condition of their organs and skeletons.

Looking out across the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea, one could hardly find any Tier One Demon Bodies. They were generally Tier Two or Tier Three, and there were even a considerable number of Tier Four True Demons.

These Demon Corpses alone offered a glimpse into the cruelty and horror of the ancient invasion from the Demon Realm.

In the current Cultivation Immortal Realm, Tier Two and Tier Three beings were considered to be in the upper echelons. But in that ancient war, it seemed they were merely... cannon fodder...

BOOM!

While Chu Mu was lost in thought, a sudden roar echoed. The True Demon merely lifted a hand and waved. With a pulse of Demonic Qi, some creature in the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea seemingly exploded and was annihilated.

Chu Mu stared intently but could only see chunks of flesh and blood raining down amidst the churning Demonic Qi.

A glance around revealed that the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea was far from calm.

Faint roars and rumbles mixed with what sounded like a charming whisper right beside his ear. Phantom-like figures would occasionally appear in the crimson darkness, but upon sensing the terror of the Nascent Soul True Demon, they would swiftly disappear back into the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea.

Evidently, just as the True Demon had said, the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea had existed for an immense amount of time. Under the grand power of creation, there was no telling what strange beings might have been born here.

Fortunately, under the True Demon’s deterrence, there wasn’t much danger along the way. Though there were some disturbances, they were all smoothed over by the True Demon’s Divine Power, failing to cause even the slightest stir.

Still, the journey had been a real eye-opener for Chu Mu.

The creative Power of Heaven and Earth was truly mysterious and extraordinary.

Within the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea, there were flesh-and-blood monsters that evolved from devouring Demon Bodies. These creatures had no fixed form and were endlessly strange, but without exception, their physical forms were all incredibly powerful.

There were also beings of pure Divine Soul... Ghosts!

They seemed to have evolved from the Residual Souls of the fallen Demon Race. The forms of these Ghosts were just as varied, and their Divine Techniques were so strange they were almost impossible to defend against.

There were even creatures made purely of bone. Chu Mu saw a skeletal demon dragon, a Tier Three entity, which the Nascent Soul True Demon shattered with a single slap...

’Soul-based, flesh-based, bone-based...’

Chu Mu was lost in thought. The creatures born in the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea, though bizarre, clearly followed basic principles of evolution.

The Divine Soul-based Ghosts, the flesh-based monsters, the bone-based demonic creatures—their origins were mostly traceable.

The few creatures that seemed bizarre and had unknown origins were only a mystery due to the limits of his own knowledge; their source was clearly also within this Corpse Mountain Blood Sea.

It was an eye-opening experience, but for Chu Mu, this didn’t seem like good news.

Under the protection of the Nascent Soul True Demon, he could travel through this Corpse Mountain Blood Sea unhindered.

But if he were to come here alone, based on what he had seen, it would likely be a path of certain death!

As Chu Mu’s mind was weighed down by heavy thoughts, several days passed in the blink of an eye.

Even traveling at the speed of a Nascent Soul Realm expert, after several days, there was still no end in sight to this Corpse Mountain Blood Sea.

By the seventh day—though Chu Mu wasn’t entirely sure it was the seventh—the Demon Realm remained dim. Shrouded in Demonic Qi, the sun and moon were hidden, making day and night indistinguishable. Coupled with the daze from being restrained by the True Demon, it was truly hard to keep track of time.

The sky remained dark, but a sliver of inky blackness faintly visible on the horizon seemed to mean... that the end of the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea was near.

As they drew closer, that streak of inky black became clearer and more prominent. In the end, what entered their field of vision was a massive city!

The city was magnificent, though its walls were in ruins. One could see several huge cracks in the ramparts, and through these breaches, glimpse the rough, stone-block houses inside.

Much like the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea, the marks of time were not particularly evident on this imposing city.

Instead, the scars from the ancient war were still remarkably clear.

The thick layers of caked blood on the walls, the gashes from blades and axes, the marks left by Magical Techniques and Divine Techniques, and even the shattered Array Prohibition Inscriptions—all of it was exceptionally well-preserved, nourished by the dense True Demon Qi.

Chu Mu quietly studied the remnant Array Prohibition Inscriptions on the wall. His eyes flickered, and he lowered his head slightly to avoid the True Demon’s gaze.

’If what the True Demon said is true, that this place was once a beachhead for the Demon Realm’s invasion of the Cultivation Immortal Realm, then this city must have been heavily guarded and filled with Grand Arrays.’

’Judging by the Cultivation of the True Demons I saw in the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea, this city’s defenses were likely designed to repel nothing less than Tier Four threats...’

’In that case, even if the city’s Array Prohibitions are in ruins, based on what I can see, a portion of them must have survived. They might still be active, or perhaps they’ve just gone dormant...’

Chu Mu subtly glanced at the True Demon, who was studying the city before them. He pursed his lips and lowered his head again, trying not to draw the True Demon’s attention.

’The Array Prohibition Inscriptions are different, but the principles should be universal...’

Chu Mu pondered to himself. The dao of arrays was about using Array Prohibition Inscriptions to combine and arrange the Power of Heaven and Earth and the Spiritual Qi of various Attributes, creating an effect where the whole was far greater than the sum of its parts.

A Cultivator facing a Grand Array of the same tier would be utterly crushed, unless they had an extremely deep understanding of arrays or possessed Combat Power far exceeding their peers.

Back in Jingmen, the Sword Dao Nascent Soul had run rampant, but when faced with the Jingmen Grand Array, it had been forced to first use an inside man to severely wound the Righteous Alliance’s Array Master, then engage in a war of attrition, and finally intimidate the Array Master into retreating.

If the Righteous Alliance’s Array Master hadn’t been severely wounded by that insider, it clearly wouldn’t have been so easy for the Longevity Sect to destroy Jingmen!

And as for the Grand Arrays of this Demon Realm...

A core stronghold of the Demon Race would have been heavily fortified. In an ancient era where Tier Two and Tier Three beings were mere cannon fodder, the city’s many Grand Arrays, even in their ruined state, would possess a Mighty Power that no ordinary person could withstand. It was even possible they could easily suppress... a Tier Four entity!

Chu Mu’s gaze became distant, the profundity of "Spiritual Radiance" manifesting in his eyes. A ruined city wall and its countless broken Array Prohibition Inscriptions flashed before his vision, analyzed piece by piece as if he were unraveling silk from a cocoon.

He hadn’t spent years engrossed in the dao of arrays like he had with Alchemy and Artifact Refining, but Artifact Refining itself was centered on Array Prohibition Inscriptions.

Coupled with the leap in intellect granted by his "Spiritual Radiance Blessing," formally beginning his study of the dao of arrays would be a simple matter for him.

During two years of preparation in the Vast Sea, despite only hastily studying the dao of arrays, his foundational knowledge of Array Prohibitions from his Artifact Refining Skill meant that in just two short years, his array proficiency on the Light Curtain Panel had already reached Tier Two.

And given the Light Curtain Panel’s strict standards, this Tier Two was by no means comparable to that of an ordinary Tier Two Array Master!

"We’ll stop here for now."

The True Demon stopped and shifted his gaze to Li Xiu and Xu Ning. He gave them a meaningful look, and the two cupped their hands in acknowledgement. Then, one after the other, they leaped away, leaving the True Demon’s protection and re-entering the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea.

Chu Mu was silent. ’My vigilance back then was completely justified.’

’These two "old acquaintances" must have struck some kind of deal or reached an understanding with the True Demon. Or perhaps they’re already completely under his control.’

’Whether what they said back then was true or false... I’ll have to wait and see.’

"On this trip into the Demon Realm, there are two things I need your help with, little friend."

In the silence, the True Demon looked at Chu Mu and spoke again.

"Please give your instructions, Senior."

Chu Mu had an air of resigned acceptance.

"First, help this old one’s direct grandson fuse with a True Demon Bloodline and complete his bloodline transformation."

"Second..."

At this point, the True Demon paused and waved his hand. "You’ll find out after we enter the city."

Chu Mu silently acknowledged this and didn’t ask further. He just glanced at the simple-minded boy and understood.

’This simple-minded boy’s Divine Soul is clearly severely injured. And this injury doesn’t seem to be damage to the Divine Soul as I guessed, but rather damage to... his sanity?’

Chu Mu wasn’t certain, but there was no doubt that a bloodline transformation under these circumstances would require meticulous preparation. There could be no external influences whatsoever.

’This is probably why the True Demon had me refine the Earth Spirit Flame.’

’The stronger the True Flame, the purer the bloodline can be refined. This will make the boy’s bloodline fusion and transformation more stable.’

’However, I remember this boy has a mutated Red Eagle Bloodline. Why take the risk of fusing with a True Demon Bloodline on top of that?’

’Beast... Demon... A Demon Fiend?’

As Chu Mu looked at the nearby Corpse Mountain Blood Sea, he felt a strange, inexplicable sensation.

Looking at the Demon Corpses before him, he realized that if one were to strip away the sinister Demonic Qi, their forms were actually no different from the endlessly varied Demon Beasts of the Vast Sea.

Both drew their power from their bloodlines, and both emphasized Physical Cultivation.

The difference between a Demon Beast and a Demon was like the difference between a Cultivator and a Demon Cultivator; aside from the Attribute of their power, there was no other distinction.

"My grandson here is to refine and fuse with a Red Eagle True Demon’s bloodline. This Demon Bloodline is from the same source as the Demon Beast’s Red Eagle Bloodline. What I need you to do, little friend, is use your True Flame to refine the bloodline. You must remove its Demon Nature without damaging the bloodline itself, to prevent it from eroding Li’Er’s mind."

Chu Mu asked, "If I may ask, Senior, is his Divine Soul damaged, or is his mind simply addled? What exactly is his condition?"

"Li’Er’s Divine Soul is in disarray because I cleansed it. This time, in addition to the bloodline fusion, I will also lay down a Soul Nourishing Array. It will draw upon the Demon Soul Essence of this Corpse Mountain Blood Sea to nourish his Divine Soul. This Grand Array will also require the help of your True Flame, little friend."

Chu Mu raised an eyebrow, clearly confused.

He was not unfamiliar with the technique of cleansing a Divine Soul.

When he refined Puppets, he would use a Soul Condensing Stone as a vessel, which often required the Divine Soul of a human or a Demon Beast.

Such Divine Souls couldn’t be used directly. They had to be thoroughly cleansed to erase all the memories and emotions they contained.

It was like formatting a drive, deleting everything from the Divine Soul’s past life, leaving only a Blank Divine Soul to serve as the Puppet Core.

Only then could he successfully inscribe the puppet’s programming into the Blank Divine Soul, completing the refinement of its control core.

’But this boy is the True Demon’s direct grandson. To cleanse his Divine Soul for no apparent reason...’

’And if he were to implant new memories afterward...’

’Is he planning to refine his own grandson into a "slave"?’

A chill ran down Chu Mu’s spine.

"It’s not what you think!"

The True Demon shot Chu Mu a look, having clearly guessed his thoughts. "Even if I were the most vicious being alive," he rebuked angrily, "I would never resort to manipulating my own flesh and blood!"

"If not for the wicked ways of the Great Heng, who manipulate the hearts of men at will, why would I have ever needed to resort to such a desperate measure!"

...