Behind the cauldron, there seemed to be a long stone couch, on which sat a person sitting cross-legged, and on the ground crawled a giant two-winged beast, both exuding a demonic aura. It was none other than the old zombie Wuhua and the demon corpse Qiongqi.
As for the Divine Dove, it has already gone into hiding under Jiang Liu's secret instructions.
The concealment effect of the "Six Wu Hidden Form Innate Taiyi Escape Talisman" was astonishing; the four of them arrived without disturbing the demon corpse Qiongqi.
Yu Xiao had already drawn his bow to its fullest extent, with two arrows in one. With a "whoosh," a streak of dark light shot out, flying straight toward the demon corpse's head like lightning.
Old Jiang Wuhua naturally already knew, and Shenjiu had already hidden himself away.
Qiongqi was completely unaware of this sneak attack.
At the same time, Di Mingqi raised his hand, and a ball of blue-green light shot towards Qiongqi, which was seven of the most vicious and filthy "Three Yin Divine Lead Extinguishing Yang Bullets" refined by unorthodox sects.
A flash of blue light appeared in Shi Mingzhu's hand, and the flying sword slashed towards Wu Huashi's head.
At this critical moment, Qiongqi, a veteran of many battles, used his black wings to protect his vitals.
Two arrows, from two directions. One arrow struck Qiongqi squarely in the back, leaving only the fletching exposed. This arrow was intended to pierce the head, but Qiongqi dodged it.
With Jiang Liu's warning, Wu Huashi dodged past, and a fist-sized hole was blasted into the mountain wall behind him, as if he had been hit by an armor-piercing bullet, which was enough to prove the power of the "Hou Yi Shooting the Sun Divine Bow"!
Shi Mingzhu's flying sword flew out, and Wu Hua's bronze halberd also flew out. The two weapons sparked in the air.
Qiongqi let out a violent roar, in extreme pain.
The seven "Three Yin Divine Lead Extinguishing Yang Bullets" slammed into the wings, causing a slight explosion of blue-green light that produced a large ball of yellow-green flames that clung to the dark wings and burned silently.
Yu Xiao drew his bow again, once again with two arrows, while Di Mingqi no longer hesitated to use the Extinguishing Yang Bullets and unleashed all the remaining "Three Yin Divine Lead Extinguishing Yang Bullets" in one go.
Just then, a golden light flashed inside the cave. The large cauldron opened and closed slightly, and countless golden stars and red threads shot out, like a whirlwind of snow and a swirling wave, enveloping the "Three Yin Divine Lead Extinguishing Yang Bullet" and the arrow. Di Mingqi was shocked at the sight and hurriedly reached out to pull them back, but it was too late. He watched as the thousands of golden stars and red threads were completely enveloped, and after only a couple of breaths, they were sucked into his mouth and disappeared without a trace.
"Oh no, everyone retreat!"
As soon as Yu Xiaogang finished speaking, he felt a strange fragrance enter his nostrils, and his six senses became confused.
Shi Mingzhu and Di Mingqi were both in the same boat, so how could they dare to talk about subduing demons and eliminating evil? Just as they were about to retreat, a gust of demonic wind swept in front of them, and a fierce bird swooped down, bringing a foul stench.
The three of them felt dizzy and their senses went blank. Although they wanted to take some medicine to detoxify themselves, they had no chance. The divine dove pounced down, and all three of them collapsed and fainted.
Qiongqi roared repeatedly, and in an instant it was about to end the lives of these people, but was stopped by Shenjiu.
Jiang Liu, who had fallen to the ground, slowly stood up, holding a nearly withered flower in his hand, and stood holding his breath.
This is the poisonous flower "Hehuan Lotus" obtained from Mangcang Mountain. It is born from the lewd energy of heaven and earth, and its shape resembles the epiphyllum. If you smell it, you will feel dizzy and drunk, and it will take six hours to wake up.
The three were ambushed by Jiang Liu, who had activated the poisonous gas in the flower, and were then knocked down by Shen Jiu, immediately losing consciousness.
"Who are you?" Qiongqi roared.
Jiang Liu put away the now-ineffective "Lotus of Joy" and said with a light smile, "What, you don't recognize me now that I have a different face?"
"It was you? You knew beforehand that someone was plotting against you, yet you stood by and did nothing!" Qiongqi sneered, looking at the three people lying on the ground, and grinned maliciously, "What are you going to do with these three? They injured me so badly, I won't let them off easily. I happen to be short of blood food, so let me eat them!"
Jiang Liu threw Di Mingqi in front of him and said, "I still have a great use for these two. You can deal with this one."
A fierce aura erupted from Qiongqi's eyes as he pulled the arrow lodged in his back. Fortunately, being a zombie, he was unharmed. He then swallowed Di Mingqi whole, his sharp teeth snapping shut, and a spurt of blood shot out. Di Mingqi died in his sleep. After chewing violently a few more times and swallowing, he said, "The treasure has been stolen; we'll divide it as we agreed before. You quickly study it, so I can properly refine the Nine Doubts Cauldron!"
Jiang Liu sneered and said, "You don't trust me, and I don't trust you either. I only see the Nine Doubts Cauldron, but where is the Haotian Mirror?"
"Hehe... Now that you are strong and I am weak, I naturally have to be on guard. The Haotian Mirror is a counter to the Nine Doubts Cauldron, and I don't trust you. We'll exchange them after you've comprehended the Nine Doubts Cauldron!"
"Alright, please leave! I need to calm my mind and meditate!"
Qiongqi's eyes flickered continuously, and Jiang Liu said again, "If you are not at ease, then take the Haotian Mirror and leave!"
Only then did he reluctantly leave the dark room.
Chapter 121 Primordial Qi Embryo
The Nine Doubts Cauldron was cast by the Yellow Emperor. Its body has the shape of all things and contains "primordial energy". It is used to collect all kinds of treasures and has a mutual relationship with the Haotian Mirror.
The river flowed around the cauldron, which was filled with images and texts of all things, including heaven and earth, mountains and rivers, wind, rain, thunder and clouds, sun, moon and stars, creatures with scales, fur and feathers, as well as monsters and evil spirits never seen before.
Interspersed among them are many red-inked talismans that are constantly changing, their meaning unknown!
What intrigued Jiang Liu even more was the countless images of all things on the cauldron, each vivid and lively, seemingly dancing with life. Regardless of size, they all appeared ethereal and independent, each with its own place, without any sign of being mixed or crowded together.
The river flowed around the cauldron three times, and the patterns on the cauldron had changed many times, each time revealing something different. It could be said to encompass everything, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, endless and boundless.
"It truly is a treasure forged by the ancient Yellow Emperor! It is no less magnificent than the Nine Tripods of the Nine Provinces."
He took out the Yangzhou Cauldron to see if it would react, but unfortunately, it didn't move at all. Jiang Liu touched the strange beast on the lid of the cauldron and suddenly opened it.
As soon as a crack appeared, countless golden and red threads shot out, filling the cave with light so intense it was almost impossible to open one's eyes. At the same time, a thunderous boom resounded, like a clap of thunder.
Inside the cauldron, however, was a state of utter chaos.
In an instant, Jiang Liu felt himself lose control of his body. Although he could hear and see clearly, and even feel the sensations in his hands, his body involuntarily stretched into the cauldron.
"Am I being controlled? The one who vanished is controlling me?"
Just as Jiang Liu was shocked, his hand had already withdrawn from the belly of the cauldron. In his hand was something that, at first glance, was just a round bead about the size of an egg, with a faint bluish-white light, indistinct and not very transparent.
But if you look closely, you can tell that this bead is no ordinary object.
Jiang Liu raised his hand involuntarily, and the blue and white light of the bead in his hand immediately separated. The blue light rose and the white light descended. In an instant, countless celestial phenomena such as sun, moon, stars, wind, clouds, thunder, and rain appeared on the upper part, while the lower part showed the shapes of mountains, rivers, lakes, seas, birds, and beasts.
It is much the same as what can be seen on the body of the cauldron, but the scene inside the bead seems to come alive and has a more spiritual quality.
"What are they trying to do?"
Just as Jiang Liu was at a loss, he slightly opened his mouth, grasped the bead in his hand, and put it into his mouth. He swallowed it whole.
As the bead entered his stomach, Jiang Liu couldn't help but shudder a few times before regaining control of his body.
He carefully examined his body, then meditated and looked inward, but found nothing unusual. Even the swallowed bead had vanished without a trace, as if what had just happened was just an illusion.
But when he sensed his own body's information, he even paused in breathing, overjoyed, and almost had to roar loudly to release his excitement.
"An innate Dao body? Haha, if this were in the world of Shrouding the Heavens, I would have an innate Dao body that could rival Ye Hei's! Although it's only at the nascent stage, the seed will eventually grow into a great tree..."
Suppressing his overwhelming joy, he closed the lid of the cauldron. He understood that this primordial energy, which originated in chaos and existed before creation, was the key to controlling the Nine Doubts Cauldron, as most of its functions depended on it.
Jiang Liu's eyes darted around, and he thought to himself, "It wasn't for nothing that I planned this all this way... Hehe, without the innate energy, the Nine Doubts Cauldron is just a shell without a source, its power reduced to less than one-tenth. I'll give it to Qiongqi! Let him distract the enemy so I can escape!"
Upon opening the door to the secret chamber, Qiongqi stood outside with a gloomy expression. Seeing that Jiang Liu had emerged in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he immediately exclaimed in surprise, "Is it over?"
He had possessed the treasures for some time and had already discovered their specific uses. Although the Haotian Mirror could restrain the Nine Doubts Cauldron and seemed to be more powerful than the Nine Doubts Cauldron, in actual combat, the Nine Doubts Cauldron was far more practical, as no magic weapon could withstand its absorption.
According to Qiongqi's calculations, this treasure cauldron should also have various wondrous uses. Once fully controlled, it can manifest a world of waxing and waning, which can be real or fake at will, arising and ceasing at will, changing in an instant. If an enemy is not careful, he will be swallowed up and drawn into it, and will be reduced to nothing in a short time.
Therefore, he naturally wanted to obtain the Nine Doubts Cauldron. If it weren't for Jiang Liu's formidable strength—a single Divine Dove could fight him to a draw, and the presence of the old zombie Wu Hua Shi, who was no match for him—he would have seized the treasure long ago.
Qiongqi spat out an ancient bronze mirror from its mouth, which shimmered with a bluish light. Then it put away the Nine Doubts Cauldron, completely unaware that the most important "Primordial Qi" was missing from the cauldron.
Jiang Liu examined the Haotian Divine Mirror in his hand. Its material was neither gold nor jade, and it was remarkably heavy. The back was inscribed with ancient seal script in the shape of tadpole script and fantastical birds and clouds; it appeared raised, yet felt smooth to the touch, neither carved nor painted. At first glance, the front still displayed the same hazy blue light he had seen before. But upon closer inspection, it seemed to extend further and further away. Inside, a shower of colorful flowers, patches of golden light, wind, clouds, water, and fire—all manifested within the golden light, constantly shifting and changing endlessly.
Upon glancing at the tadpole-shaped symbols on the back of the Haotian Mirror, Jiang Liu suddenly had a flash of inspiration and immediately felt enlightened. He recited the spiritual text and performed the ritual, holding the precious mirror up to shine it into the darkness opposite.
This illumination further revealed its wondrous power of generation and restraint. At first, it emitted only a faint, bluish light. As it shone into the shadows, a wisp of smoke drifted across the mirror, a flash of bluish light, and suddenly, ten thousand golden rays, boundless rosy hues, shot out like a torrential downpour. In the blink of an eye, the entire cave was illuminated again, and all sound vanished, leaving no trace.
"Sudden enlightenment? Is it the effect of an innate Dao body?"
Jiang Liu felt that he had just entered a state of enlightenment, which was why he was able to master the use of the "Haotian Mirror" in such a short time.
Qiongqi took the broken Nine Doubts Cauldron, said nothing more, and fled from the Wuhua Ancient Tomb as if it were running away. Then, it spread its wings and rode away on the wind.
He was in such a hurry because he was afraid Jiang Liu would seize the treasure. Just now, he had caught a glimpse of Jiang Liu successfully refining the "Haotian Mirror." If Jiang Liu were to take the "Nine Doubts Cauldron," he would truly be no match for him.
This trip immediately attracted the attention of many people.
First, there were the two elders of Mount Song on the summit of Mount Taiwei. They exchanged a glance and then rode off on their swords to pursue the enemy.
Next were Yang Jin and Ling Yunfeng, disciples of the god Nifenta, who remained still.
There was another person standing on the summit, looking disheveled, with a weathered face, and slightly red, bloodshot eyes. It was none other than the strange beggar Ling Hun, the husband of the white-haired dragon girl Cui Wugu.
Chapter 122 Mad Beggar
"Brother, you have been on a killing spree lately. If you don't stop, not only will you have no hope of ascending to immortality, but you will also be very likely to fall into the demonic path!"
Yang Jin looked at Ling Hun standing on the mountain peak. As a brother and sister from his previous life, he naturally had to offer some words of advice.
But seeing his weary face and his gray hair tangled in the mountain wind, I couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache. Ling Hun, who was originally a talkative and optimistic person, had undergone a drastic change in temperament in just one month.
"Now I'm not thinking about ascension anymore. Your sister-in-law is missing. She may have really been annihilated! Hehe...hahaha...hahahaha..." As he spoke, Ling Hun burst into laughter, but his face was covered in tears.
“My master…”
"It's no use. The secrets of heaven are in chaos now. Who can calculate cause and effect! I have only one wish now... that is... to kill all the demons and evil spirits in the world... and then disintegrate before I fall into the demonic path!"
Another beam of light flew out from the Wuhua Ancient Tomb, filled with demonic and corpse energy. It was the Divine Dove carrying the old zombie Wuhua.
The eccentric beggar Ling Hun let out a sinister laugh and charged off on his sword.
Perhaps it's more accurate to call him a mad beggar now. From the failure of his sect in Qingluoyu to the suspected loss of his wife's soul, he has indeed gone mad.
They pursued him relentlessly, their killing intent palpable, as if they wouldn't rest until they had him dead.
Shenjiu glanced sideways at Ling Hun who was attacking from behind, flapped its wings, and fled at an even faster speed.
As Jiang Liu's second primordial spirit, it should have possessed the same intelligence as humans, but Jiang Liu took advantage of the situation when he possessed the body. The primordial spirit had just taken shape in the Mysterious Female Pearl, and its facial features were not yet clear before the possession occurred. Therefore, the current situation has arisen: it has the strength, but can only obey orders and does not know how to adapt.
Jiang Liu's order to him was to escape to the East China Sea and hide as much as possible.
So he carried the old zombie Wu Hua away and fled.
If we abandon Wu Huashi now to cover our retreat, we might still have a chance to escape.
After flying a thousand miles, Ling Hun finally caught up and slashed at the bird and the corpse with his sword.
Wu Hua was no pushover either; with a swing of his bronze halberd, it clashed with the sword light.
With a "crack," the bronze halberd snapped in two, while the sword light continued its undiminished speed, slashing at Wu Hua's body. The sound of two pieces of metal rubbing together violently immediately filled the air.
The sword flashed and landed in Ling Hun's hand. Looking at Wu Hua Shi, his neck was drooping to one side, and he was almost beheaded by a single sword.
Ling Hun arrived once again on his swords, but this time it wasn't just one sword, but three celestial swords, which swept across the land.
Seeing that it could not escape, the divine dove spewed purple flames, its body surrounded by five-colored smoke, its wings spread wide, its strange eyes gleaming with iridescent light, its iron claws outstretched, its appearance ferocious, and it began to fight against Ling Hun's sword light.