Chapter 738: Demonic Evil Qi

Chapter 738: Chapter 739: Demonic Evil Qi

The stone chambers, in particular, struck Ye Xuan as unnervingly strange.

This feeling lingered in his mind, but he couldn’t quite grasp the reason for it.

‘The first stone chamber held a Pill Furnace, the second a Tier Nine Spirit Medicine, and the third a black Crystal Stone…’

Ye Xuan recalled the previous stone chambers but still couldn’t figure anything out.

‘Forget it. If I can’t figure it out, I shouldn’t overthink it. If there really is a problem, it’ll reveal itself sooner or later.’

Ye Xuan shot a cold glance at Zhan Shang. He was certain Zhan Shang knew something, but this wasn’t the right place to ask.

Finally, after traveling for several days, Ye Xuan and Zhan Shang, led by the Blood Sword Martial Emperor, reached the end of the passage.

Before them was a vast expanse of hazy black mist, suffused with a cold, sinister power that sent a chill through their bodies.

The mouth of the passage where they stood was like the edge of a cliff; the path forward had ended.

As far as the eye could see, the mist grew thicker the farther down it went and thinner the higher up. At the very bottom, the dense black fog resembled the surface of a black lake, obscuring their view.

The three of them exchanged glances, a sense of vigilance rising within them as they observed the mist.

THUD!

Just then, a muffled sound echoed up from the mist below. The fog, which had been like a black, flowing river, suddenly began to churn. The vast black mist surged wildly, like a swarm of roaring, enraged dragons.

HUMMM!

At the same time, an astonishing power faintly emanated from deep underground before slowly fading back into silence.

In the face of this power, Ye Xuan felt his scalp tingle. He was like an ant standing before a great dragon, a suffocating sensation washing over him.

‘What a terrifying aura.’

Ye Xuan’s heart clenched violently. All three of them, including the Blood Sword Martial Emperor, were utterly shocked.

The power that had faintly emanated just now had brought even the Blood Sword Martial Emperor an immense sense of pressure, as if he couldn’t breathe.

It had to be known.

The Blood Sword Martial Emperor was a Tier Nine Martial Emperor. That power had emanated from some unknown depth, obstructed by all this black mist. Logically, after being weakened to such a degree, a typical aura shouldn’t have been able to affect him at all.

Even a Second Layer Martial Emperor, who was stronger than him, couldn’t have released such a powerful presence.

Yet now, he felt such an oppressive sensation. Clearly, whatever lurked deep underground far surpassed any ordinary Martial Emperor.

‘What exactly is down there in this mysterious abyss?’

While the Blood Sword Martial Emperor was alarmed, a fiery gleam also lit up his eyes.

Danger often went hand-in-hand with opportunity. A place with such a terrifying aura was bound to hold something special in its depths.

“Let’s go down and see.”

Without any hesitation, the Blood Sword Martial Emperor shot out of the passage and plunged down into the black mist.

Ye Xuan and Zhan Shang flew down after the Blood Sword Martial Emperor.

The endless black mist swirled around them.

The moment Ye Xuan left the passage, an invisible force descended upon him.

‘This is… such terrifying Evil Qi.’

Ye Xuan felt an unseen power relentlessly trying to corrupt his mind, while a strange energy from the black mist seeped into his body through his skin.

This strange energy… could not be blocked by Profound, nor by Soul Power. It would burrow into his body and then emerge again.

It passed back and forth through one’s body as if it were mere air.

And during this process, a person’s spirit and body would undergo certain changes.

‘Kill, kill, kill.’

Ye Xuan felt his spirit gradually turn cold and sinister. A tyrannical killing intent rose from his heart, and it was as if furious roars to kill were echoing in his mind.

It wasn’t just his spirit; his physical body was also undergoing some mysterious changes.

‘Something’s wrong. What on earth is this Evil Qi?’

So-called Evil Qi typically affected one on a spiritual level, much like killing intent. When a Martial Artist killed many people, they would naturally develop a killing intent. This intent was an aura produced entirely by the mental changes that occurred during the act of killing.

But this black mist wasn’t just affecting his spirit; it was also transforming his physical body.

An unknown power was fusing into his body, one that even his Sixth Transformation of the Nine Transformations Saint Body could not block. It was as if two completely different types of power were merging.

Ye Xuan couldn’t yet determine if this outcome was good or bad.

But while Ye Xuan was alarmed and suspicious, Zhan Shang was inwardly overcome with ecstatic joy.

‘Demonic Evil Qi! To think there’s so much pure Demonic Evil Qi here!’

Ecstatic, Zhan Shang secretly began absorbing the black mist. Streams of the fog entered his body at a speed imperceptible to both the naked eye and Profound Sense, and his cultivation, originally at the Second Layer, began to slowly rise.

‘Haha, I never thought there would be so much Demonic Evil Qi here! This is a paradise for me, Zhan Shang! With all this Demonic Evil Qi, I can cultivate without restraint! Tsk, tsk… this is the purest form of the Spirit Demon Race’s Demonic Evil Qi, used to nourish the body. How can there be so much of it!’

As he reveled in his joy, Zhan Shang couldn’t help but glance at the Blood Sword Martial Emperor, a trace of frustration flashing in his eyes.

‘Dammit! With this human Martial Emperor here, I can’t just absorb it wantonly. At this slow pace, when will I ever break through? I have to find a way to get him out of the picture.’

However, as a mere “servant,” he had no say in the matter among the three of them.

Thinking of this, Zhan Shang immediately sent Ye Xuan a voice transmission, “Kid, you can’t go any further down. This black mist is the Demonic Evil Qi that the Spirit Demon Race uses to nourish their bodies. It contains intense Demonic Qi and Evil Qi. At your cultivation level, if you go too deep, the Demonic Evil Qi will invade your soul. Your consciousness will be annihilated, and you’ll become a mindless, crazed demon.”

‘Spirit Demon Race? Demonic Evil Qi?’

Ye Xuan gave Zhan Shang a deep look. In truth, even without Zhan Shang speaking up, he had already sensed something was wrong. When he had first left the passage, the Evil Qi’s effect on his mind hadn’t been particularly great, but as they descended deeper, his willpower was already taking a considerable hit.

He was only able to last this long due to his status as a Soul Refiner and an Alchemist; an ordinary Martial Sovereign would have likely succumbed long ago.

“Lord Blood Sword Martial Emperor, the Evil Qi in this black mist is too dense. I’m already struggling to hold on. I won’t be going any further down.”

Ye Xuan knew exactly what Zhan Shang was getting at—he wanted to get away from the Blood Sword Martial Emperor. In fact, Ye Xuan felt the same; this was the perfect chance to part ways with him.

“KILL! KILL! KILL!”

A savage roar suddenly rang out. A berserk figure shot out from the black mist nearby, appearing before the Blood Sword Martial Emperor in the blink of an eye.

The man’s eyes were blood-red. Judging by his cultivation, he was a Second Layer Martial Sovereign, but he had completely lost his own will. He swung his longsword erratically at the Blood Sword Martial Emperor.

“Begone!”

The Blood Sword Martial Emperor’s gaze hardened. With a cold snort, he slapped down his palm. SPLAT! The Martial Sovereign’s arm, which was holding the longsword, instantly exploded, spewing blood.

“Kill… Kill… Kill!”

But the Second Layer Martial Sovereign was completely oblivious, his eyes crimson. Screeching, he charged at the Blood Sword Martial Emperor again.

“Die!”

The Blood Sword Martial Emperor frowned, killing intent in his eyes. He threw a punch. BANG! The Second Layer Martial Sovereign instantly disintegrated, exploding into a mist of blood.

Ye Xuan drew a sharp breath. That Martial Sovereign had clearly entered this place only a short time ago. To think he had actually been stripped of his will by the dense Evil Qi, becoming a madman who only knew how to kill.

“Lord Blood Sword Martial Emperor, you’ve seen for yourself. I cannot proceed any further,” Ye Xuan said, his gaze solemn.

The Blood Sword Martial Emperor stopped, pondering for a moment. Then, an invisible power was released from his body, enveloping Ye Xuan and Zhan Shang. It was his Martial Emperor Domain.

“Little friend, the Evil Qi here is indeed very dense, but rest assured. Under my domain, you will be fine.”

Under the powerful domain, the black mist around Ye Xuan diminished significantly, no longer able to affect his mind.

Zhan Shang was dumbfounded. This wouldn’t do. How was he supposed to absorb the Demonic Evil Qi within the Blood Sword Martial Emperor’s domain? He probably couldn’t even continue his previous cautious absorption.

A domain was an area completely controlled by a Martial Emperor. No matter how careful he was, if he dared to absorb even a tiny bit of Demonic Evil Qi within the domain, the Blood Sword Martial Emperor would surely sense it clearly.

But Ye Xuan shook his head and said, “Lord Blood Sword Martial Emperor, your domain can indeed greatly reduce the corrosion of the Evil Qi. However, we don’t know how deep this abyss is. If we encounter danger, the two of us will surely become a burden to you. So, it’s best if we don’t.”

In truth, Ye Xuan also wanted to part ways with the Blood Sword Martial Emperor.

After all, while the Blood Sword Martial Emperor seemed quite favorable toward him, staying with the man made it inconvenient for Ye Xuan to use some of his own techniques. Worse, by following the Martial Emperor, Ye Xuan was essentially placing his life in the man’s hands—something he refused to do.

“Since you insist, little friend, I will say no more.”

The Blood Sword Martial Emperor clearly understood that Ye Xuan had a point. As his voice fell, a jade slip instantly landed in Ye Xuan’s hand.

“This is my communication jade slip. If you encounter any danger, little friend, feel free to send me a message. As long as I receive it, I will arrive as soon as possible.”

“Then thank you, Lord Blood Sword Martial Emperor.” Ye Xuan put away the jade slip. This might come in handy someday.

“You’re too kind, little friend. We’ll meet again shortly.”

The Blood Sword Martial Emperor cupped his hands, then immediately transformed into a streak of light and flew downwards. In a few moments, his figure was obscured by the black mist, and he disappeared from sight.

“Hmph. Forcing me to act as a servant for so long… You’ve got some nerve, kid.”

The moment the Blood Sword Martial Emperor left, Zhan Shang returned to his true self, his dark eyes filled with unconcealed killing intent as he spoke.