Dao of The Demonic Cultivator

Affected by the conflict among cultivators, the mortal armies of the Yue Kingdom also invaded the Yu Kingdom, engaging in arson, killing, and looting. The mortals of the Yu and Yue Kingdoms thus began a protracted mortal war. Those demonic cultivators lurking in the shadows all began to fan the flames, intensifying the conflict.

Chu Xuan gleaned the current state of affairs from the intelligence gathered by Huang An. "The Divine Star Sect and the Heaven Burning Sect have ancient enmity, yet they are holding back. They must have a hidden agenda."

Chu Xuan shook his head repeatedly. "If I'm not mistaken, the Hundred Refinements Sect of Yan Kingdom is also finding it hard to resist joining. In that case, you may as well have a good fight. I'll run first."

...

Misty Mountains.

The Divine Star Sect had long since withdrawn from this place. The Heaven Burning Sect had taken control of the underground ruins here.

As a former branch of the Nether Dao Sect, the Heaven Burning Sect naturally knew what these underground ruins were. Hence, they attached great importance to this location.

The Heaven Burning Sect dispatched numerous mortal craftsmen to construct forts above the Ghost Palace and set up defensive formations. They also stationed a Golden Core expert, five Foundation Establishment cultivators, and nearly a hundred Qi Refining cultivators here, forbidding anyone from approaching.

However, at this moment, these cultivators were nowhere to be seen. They had vanished as if evaporated.

A figure shrouded in a faint black aura walked out from the fort, greedily breathing in the fresh air. Behind him, an endless stream of bloody Qi rushed into his body.

"It's been five hundred years, and I have returned," he murmured.

The cool moonlight filtered through the dark branches, illuminating his face.

This face was familiar to Chu Xuan. It belonged to Han Liuyun, the most deeply concealed among the Heavenly Seal Trio.

However, the current Han Liuyun seemed to be just a husk. His soul had long been replaced by another.

"Five hundred years... What has become of the Southern Wilderness cultivation world?" he pondered aloud. "Those old bastards should still be alive. Don't die. Please don't die. Your Nascent Souls are mine. Not a single one can be missing."

He sneered coldly. His body was enveloped in black Qi, and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the darkness.

...

"On the prodigy of the Nether Dao Sect, Shang Tianjue, possessing a top-grade ice spiritual root, Ninth Level Golden Core, intending to embark on the path to Nascent Soul..."

"After the disappearance of the ancestral land of the Nether Dao Sect, Shang Tianjue also mysteriously vanished..."

"Witnesses among cultivators reported that Shang Tianjue's last appearance was at the Ghost Palace of the Nether Dao Sect..."

On the rooftop of a high building, Chu Xuan perused the scrolls in his hands, deep in thought. This document originated from Cao Zijin's storage pouch. Chu Xuan had always been interested in the history of the Nether Dao Sect, hence his reading during leisure times.

"Hmm? Zombies are coming?" Chu Xuan glanced down and noticed that zombies were already swarming in.

He smiled faintly.

He had already instructed Black Blade to find an ultrasonic generator for him. Despite the widespread ruins, these scientific instruments could still be salvaged from the debris. Searching on his own would undoubtedly waste a lot of time. However, with the entire company of Black Blade searching for him, efficiency was naturally high.

Five days prior, Wang Gangjian and others reverently delivered four ultrasonic generators to Chu Xuan. He selected the finest among them, coupled with a diesel generator, and ascended to the rooftop of a towering building. He had already activated the generator, casting the feeding ultrasonic waves into the air.

In moments of ennui, he turned the pages of an ancient tome.

Roars erupted below. Swarms of zombies converged in growing numbers—groups of three or five, dozens, hundreds, thousands—until by afternoon, over a hundred thousand had amassed beneath the building. Among them were zombies of superior strength and agility, possessed of unique talents.

Without hesitation, Chu Xuan activated the array.

Thunderous booms resonated as the dreadful Corpse Refining Blood Fire spontaneously arose from the earth, engulfing all in its path. Even level six or seven zombies stood no chance against it, quickly reduced to wails as they became fuel for the Fire.

This formation, known as the "Corpse Refining Blood Fire Array," was specifically designed to generate this fearsome fire.

Chu Xuan's reserves of Corpse Refining Blood Fire were amassing steadily, ample enough to be used in battle without reservation.

His continued accumulation was driven by a passage within the Blood Evil Demon Refining Scripture, suggesting that if one gathered sufficient Corpse Refining Blood Fire, it might be transformed into the even more potent Blood Evil Yin Fire.

While the former harmed only the body, the latter could devastate both body and soul. Though rarely achieved, Chu Xuan was determined to attempt it, given his unique position to funnel endless "fuel" into the Corpse Refining Blood Fire.

"More and more of the Fire accumulates; surely, it shall one day give rise to the Blood Evil Yin Fire," Chu Xuan mused with a smile.

Soon, the hundred thousand zombies were completely consumed by the Corpse Refining Blood Fire. With a casual gesture, Chu Xuan collected the fire.

He then produced a large soul banner and harvested the hundred thousand living souls. This banner was not the Myriad Souls Banner but the Great Souls Banner, a low-grade magic tool.

It merely possessed the capability to capture ordinary living souls and wandering spirits. Specifically prepared for this purpose, the banner was crucial; had the souls been gathered into the Myriad Souls Banner, they would have been torn asunder by powerful vengeful spirits within days.

Thus, one of the conditions for condensing the Netherworld Soul Core was met.

"Excellent, it seems Huang An has succeeded once again," Chu Xuan noted as he observed a crack forming in the mother stone, his eyes brightening with anticipation.

White Water City.

Huang An bowed respectfully to Chu Xuan, "Master, this humble servant has found the locations you sought."

"There are three in total. The first is the Yinma Plains battlefield. Half a month ago, Yue and Yu engaged in war there, with several demon cultivators exacerbating the conflict, leading to the deployment of over two million mortal soldiers from both sides. It has now become a place steeped in deep resentment."

"The second is the White Water River battlefield. It is an ancient battlefield where Yan and Yu clashed two hundred years ago, resulting in the deaths of a million soldiers."

"The third is the Loulan battlefield in the Endless Desert. It was once a tug-of-war between Yu and Yue, with both sides battling for over a decade and deploying three million troops. However, it is now firmly controlled by the Heaven Burning Sect, making access difficult."

Huang An handed over a page from a book. Chu Xuan took it and examined the detailed information of these three battlefields. He nodded in satisfaction, "Well done."

Huang An continued, "Master, the demonic beast cores of fire, wood, and thunder attributes that you instructed me to find have also shown some progress. If you wish, I can procure them for you now."

Chu Xuan waved his hand dismissively, "Leave it for now."

He did not directly mention his need for the thunder attribute python's demonic beast core but rather added fire and wood attributes to obfuscate.

He believed in the loyalty of Huang An. The actions of this elder cultivator were sufficient to warrant a hundredfold punishment from the Huang family.

His only concern was if someone discovered an issue with Huang An and used soul-searching methods to investigate him.

After a moment of thought, Chu Xuan flicked a large blood pearl over and handed Huang An a medium-grade attack magic tool and a high-grade defense magic tool.

Huang An was greatly shaken. His nose twitched, eyes turning red. He knelt down directly, bowing deeply to Chu Xuan.

"Thank you so much for your reward! This old servant understands your intentions and will be even more careful in serving you in the future."

Chu Xuan smiled and nodded, "Very well."

In the blink of an eye, he disappeared without a trace.

Leaving White Water City, Chu Xuan headed straight for the Yinma Plains battlefield.