Chapter 262

Under the arena, there was actually a deep pit. There was a pool of golden oil in the pit. A green flame was floating and burning quietly on it.

Song Chun Gui looked like he was about to fall into the pit.

The two men rushed forward. The disciples of Wuliang Sect also wanted to save him, but they were all blocked by a boundary that appeared unexpectedly. Just as Song Chun Gui was about to fall into the oil pool, in the nick of time, a copper-colored chain flew over, wrapped around his waist instantly, and pulled him out of the boundary.

After Fan Wu She rescued Song Chun Gui, he handed him over to a Chunyang Sect’s disciple. Blood was pouring out of Song Chun Gui's abdomen, and his face was as white as a piece of paper. Everyone hurriedly injected spiritual energy into him.

Xie Bi An looked at the "arena" with a grave expression. The fire in the deep pit was 5 Chinese feet high and burned right up to the arena, but it was neither hot nor did it burn anything in this world, because it was a ghost fire made from corpse oil.

Above the deep pit was surrounded by a circle of bronze walls connecting the four bronze beasts, which were engraved with talismans and totems. When the drapery and wooden boards were still in place, it was disguised as an arena, but without the cover, it clearly looked......like a miniature Shen Nong Ding.

And the boundary laid by Jiang Qu Lian was so powerful that no living things could enter. Only soul weapons could penetrate it.

"What is this thing!?" Xie Bi An said with a trembling voice.

Jiang Qu Lian stepped onto the void. His red clothes were fluttering enchantingly. He let go of his hand and Song Chun Gui's golden core fell into the corpse oil pool.

"This is an Yin furnace." Fan Wu She said with a cold voice, "Although it is also a core furnace, it is quenched with corpse oil. The refined core is much more powerful and faster than an ordinary core furnace. This furnace imitates Shen Nong Ding. I guess there are also fragments of Shen Nong Ding and all the base materials needed to refine a human core inside.”

"He imitated the Shen Nong Ding here?!"

Jiang Qu Lian laughed, "Do you think that only the Supreme Demon could study the ‘Yin Fu Scripture’ in the entire world?"

"Jiang Qu Lian, what do you want to do!?"

"Do you still need to ask? I’m performing alchemy." Jiang Qu Lian was looking at the bubbling corpse oil pool, "Xu Zhi Nan couldn't get your core, so he could only look for an alternative by finding the one who had already formed a core and had an imperial destiny. Coincidentally, Song Chun Gui was one of them, but he was born with a disability. His destiny was much worse than yours, plus this Yin furnace is far worse than Shen Nong Ding, so this human core won't turn into the Absolute Emperor, but it will be the best immortal pill in the world. It is enough to bring Xu Zhi Nan back to life."

"You are doing it for the Golden Trunk Jade Policy."

"Of course. It's the only bargaining chip left in his hands." Jiang Qu Lian glared sinisterly at Xie Bi An, "I was negligent for a moment and let you save Lan Chui Han, but as soon as I get the Jade Policy, I will be able to master the laws of karma and reincarnation. By then, hehe."

"Do you think you can get away with this?" Fan Wu She said in a gloomy voice.

"Do you want to use the Heavenly Secret Talisman here?" Jiang Qu Lian laughed unrestrainedly, "There are more than a hundred thousand people in Lanxi Town. Are you going to use the Yin soldiers and fight with me here?"

Until now, everyone understood that Li Zhi Qing invited cultivators to witness the match between him and Song Chun Gui, which was clearly a Hongmen feast* he colluded with Jiang Qu Lian and Xu Zhi Nan. Only Li Zhi Qing could hoodwink the public and build such a Yin furnace without being noticed, and only Li Zhi Qing knew how to break Song Chun Gui's wariness with just a few words. He invited cultivators from various immortal sects to witness that he, Li Zhi Qing, was the only candidate for the leader of Wuliang Sect. Otherwise, he would probably not go out of Mount Shu’s boundary.

Simply insidious to the extreme.

Xu Zhi Nan wanted the human core, and Jiang Qu Lian wanted the Jade Policy, so they naturally clicked together. If they got their way, the human and ghost worlds would fall into the enemies’ hands at the same time.

In the pool of corpse oil, the ghost fire suddenly detonated. A brown immortal core rose from the flame. That was the top immortal pill that was formed from the condensed lifelong cultivation of Song Chun Gui.

Jiang Qu Lian stretched out his hand in the air, but the human core did not fly into his ghost claws. He only saw the entire pool of corpse oil suddenly shake violently, and the human core also followed suit and flew out.

Fan Wu She held the Shanhe Sheji Map and controlled all of the Yin furnace. The human core also flew towards Fan Wu She.

Jiang Qu Lian's body turned into a red mist and disappeared on the spot. He turned into a splash of scarlet that spiraled towards the human core.

Xie Bi An leaped and stabbed out with his sharp sword. The strong spiritual pressure forced Jiang Qu Lian back.

When Fan Wu She was about to grab the human core, there was a sound of breaking air. An arrow whooshed past as fast as a bolt of meteor lightning and brushed past the human core. The surrounding airflow suddenly changed dramatically, and the buoyant immortal core also followed suit and flew out.

That mass of red mist drifted rapidly toward the immortal core. When Jiang Qu Lian transformed into his real form, his ghost claw had already firmly grasped the human core.

"Hua Xiang Rong!" Xie Bi An looked at Hua Xiang Rong who was not far away. Her eyes were sharp and cold. Despite the slight change in appearance, her aura was very different from before. He said in a deep voice, "You are Xu Zhi Nan."

The corners of Xu Zhi Nan's mouth tugged lightly, and he smiled coldly.

Jiang Qu Lian transformed once again, encircling Hua Xiang Rong's body in the red mist, and flew far away.

Xie Bi An and Fan Wu She rose with their swords and flew after them. There were many other cultivators catching up in a single file, but Xu Zhi Nan summoned the snow owl in mid-air. Its speed was unmatched by anyone in the world, and they could only watch as Xu Zhi Nan escaped from them once again.

Xie Bi An growled in anger. His eyes were red, and veins were bulging on his forehead.

Fan Wu She looked in the direction where the snow owl had disappeared. His whole face was malicious and insidious.

"How could we not detect so much corpse oil?" Xie Bi An said through gritted teeth.

"It's not human corpse oil. It's from animals."

"And Jiang Qu Lian, he actually managed to completely hide his Yin energy." Xie Bi An was so angry that he whirled in place, "And the Yin furnace, the four bronze beasts are exactly the same as the ones on the Shen Nong Ding. How could we not have thought of that, I ......"

Fan Wu She pacified him with a deep voice, "Most of the world's core furnaces have four divine beasts. Li Zhi Qing made a big fanfare and drew all our attention to Song Chun Gui. It was inevitable for us to overlook it."

Xie Bi An slowly hung his head. His eyes were still covered with remorse.

"Big brother." Fan Wu She gently squeezed Xie Bi An's shoulder, "I secretly left my spiritual sense on Hua Xiang Rong."

"What? When?"

"On the way here." Fan Wu She said, "Ever since I saw her again, I felt something was wrong."

"You mean, she has been Xu Zhi Nan on the inside since long ago?"

"No, Xu Zhi Nan didn't dare to use her body to meet us. He knew we would be able to expose him, but Hua Xiang Rong tracked Xu Zhi Nan all the way here. I didn’t believe Xu Zhi Nan didn't find out. Then why didn't he get rid of Hua Xiang Rong?"

"He had no confidence to control Hua Xiang Rong with his body."

"This is just one of the reasons."

Xie Bi An pondered for a moment and said abruptly, "Could it be that he wants to reserve Hua Xiang Rong’s body for Qi Meng Sheng?!"

Fan Wu She nodded: "Since he could not protect himself, he intentionally let Hua Xiang Rong follow him, but he didn't give her the chance to sneak attack. The reason is that when the time is right, he can abandon Qi Meng Sheng's aging body and change himself into Cheng Yan Zhi's body. But what about Qi Meng Sheng's soul? He needs a female body. Who else is more suitable than Hua Xiang Rong?"

Xie Bi An only felt a chill down his back, "Isn't he worried about Qi Meng Sheng taking revenge on him?"

"He’s worried, but ......" Fan Wu She said expressionlessly, "he did have feelings for Qi Meng Sheng before, and he’s not willing to die peacefully*."

To must get something that one can’t. He knew this obsession better than anyone else.

 

 

SQC’s notes: Ah, I’m walking towards the ending phase (of this novel), and I got stuck again. Luckily, Saturday is a rest day.

----

Hongmen feast*[鸿门宴]--- banquet set up with the aim of murdering a guest

die peacefully*[无疾而终]--- to result in failure (without any outside interference) / to come to nothing / to fizzle out

 

Edited on 13 July 21 (Emzie)

 

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