Cultivation Begins From The Desert

Chapter 639 - 624: Fierce Battle with the Corpse Demon [Request Subscription]

[Donglai Immortal Island] turned out to be the cave dwelling cultivation site of a Tribulation Crossing True Immortal, which differed somewhat from Zhouyang’s earlier speculations.

However, it made him take this matter even more seriously.

A cave dwelling of a Tribulation Crossing True Immortal might even possibly hold the inheritance of a Tribulation Crossing True Immortal, a temptation that even those Ninth-Layer Nascent Soul "Half-Step True Immortals" could not resist.

Zhouyang is now only one step away from refining the pill and forming the infant. Once he succeeds in Nascent Soul Formation, it will be almost impossible for him to progress rapidly as he did before.

The elixirs and spiritual objects that can advance the cultivation of a Nascent Soul stage cultivator are treasures hard to find in this realm, even those Nascent Soul stage cultivators from top major sects can only receive some every few hundred years, let alone a cultivator like him with no significant background.

However, if he could inherit the legacy from the cave dwelling of a Tribulation Crossing True Immortal, then such impossibilities would no longer be impossible.

Moreover, a legacy left by a Tribulation Crossing True Immortal would likely include Tier Seven Immortal Artifacts, at worst, various powerful Tier Six Magical Artifacts would certainly be plentiful.

Without leaving some sufficiently powerful artifacts as Dao Protection Treasures for the inheritor, how could one ensure their legacy wouldn’t be stolen?

Overall, this is absolutely a colossal treasure worth even Nascent Soul stage cultivators fighting desperately to obtain!

Yet valuing it deeply is one thing, being tempted is another, Zhouyang dared not release [Corpse Demon].

[Corpse Demon] remained sealed and suppressed, and he still had some confidence in being able to destroy it.

But once [Corpse Demon] escapes its predicament, he would struggle with self-preservation, not to mention destroying it.

This kind of cooperation in imbalance of power is far from being simply "negotiating with the tiger to skin itself."

Of course, such direct words he definitely couldn’t say—for now, he must extract all possible value from [Corpse Demon] before he could openly turn against it.

Thus, upon hearing [Corpse Demon]’s words, his expression changed dramatically, revealing a noticeable gleam of greed in his eyes.

Then, as if struck by an idea, he suddenly turned cold, sneered: "You have quite the audacious scheme, expecting me to release you with a mere vague promise— even an eight-year-old wouldn’t fall for such a trick!"

[Corpse Demon] had been closely observing Zhouyang’s expression changes, and upon hearing Zhouyang’s words, its eyes flashed green, and it replied in a resonant voice: "I am not deceiving you. If you knew my true origins, you would know every word I speak is true!"

Zhouyang was waiting for this statement.

He immediately said: "Zhou is all ears."

This softened stance bolstered [Corpse Demon]’s confidence in persuading him, and it quickly revealed its origin.

It turned out [Corpse Demon] was a character from ten thousand years ago, originally the inner disciple of an overseas loose immortal, [Master Donglai], and formed a Nascent Soul before reaching eight hundred years of age, with a bright future ahead.

However, less than a hundred years after forming its Nascent Soul, [Master Donglai] unexpectedly announced pursuance of ascension, then sealed [Donglai Immortal Island] and vanished without a trace.

[Donglai Immortal Island] was indeed the cave dwelling cultivation site of [Master Donglai], who himself was a Tier Seven Array Master proficient in space arrays, with the entire island covered by a Tier Seven Immortal Array.

After the Immortal Island was sealed, it became akin to being in an alternate space, and without the entry token left by [Master Donglai], even a Tribulation Crossing True Immortal of the same tier would likely be unable to enter.

And for unknown reasons, [Master Donglai] did not individually give the entry token to a single disciple but divided the token into four parts, which were entrusted separately to four disciples for safekeeping.

If the four disciples combined the tokens, they could directly send a person into the core area of [Donglai Immortal Island] to locate the array control token left by [Master Donglai] and gain control over the island’s array.

If only holding a single token piece, they could transport a cultivator below the Nascent Soul stage into the peripheral area of [Donglai Immortal Island] to cultivate, and by undergoing the assessment left by [Master Donglai], enter the core area and inherit [Master Donglai]’s true lineage, gaining command over the entire [Donglai Immortal Island].

From this setup, it is apparent that [Master Donglai] was not very satisfied with the four disciples, not believing they could truly inherit his lineage, thus utilizing their hands to select a rightful heir for his lineage.

But, as the four disciples had followed him for many years, even without meritorious service, they had labored hard, and if given no chance at all, it would seem too heartless.

Therefore, he provided them with an opportunity; if the four were united, combining the four token pieces to allow someone to receive his lineage, it would fulfill a bond of master and disciples.

Yet evidently, [Corpse Demon], in its lifetime with its three fellow disciples, was incapable of achieving such unity for someone’s benefit.

Therefore, after Master Donglai disappeared, the four of them, as fellow disciples, constantly argued and fought, both openly and covertly, each wanting to seize the tokens from the others to inherit the true legacy of their master, Master Donglai.

However, since all four disciples, upon joining the sect, had sworn a blood oath and a Dao Heart Oath before Master Donglai never to harm their fellow disciples, the difficulty of plotting to capture the tokens from each other increased exponentially.

Since Corpse Demon was the last to form a Nascent Soul during its life and had the weakest cultivation, it naturally became the primary target for the other three.

The reason it was sealed and suppressed here was that during its life, it was captured and secretly imprisoned by a senior disciple.

The location where it was originally imprisoned was deep under the sea, but due to the vicissitudes of time and changes in the earth vein, it emerged from the sea and became an island.

"Sir, this story you’ve told seems quite real, but how can I trust that what you say is true? Without evidence, surely you don’t expect me to believe you just made up a story to convince me?"

Zhouyang stared at the Corpse Demon, which had spun a tale, his eyes flickering with suspicion as he said, "And even if your account is true, since you’ve been confined here for so many years, the token to enter Donglai Immortal Island must have been lost long ago. So how can you claim to take me to Donglai Immortal Island to inherit Master Donglai’s legacy? Perhaps your senior brothers have long taken over Donglai Immortal Island during your lengthy imprisonment!"

Upon hearing these words, Corpse Demon argued, "This is something you need not worry about. I once inquired with Ruan Xiong, and he knows nothing about Donglai Immortal Island, nor has he heard of such a Spiritual Qi-rich island in the East Sea. Hence, it can be seen that Donglai Immortal Island remains sealed, not yet appearing in the world!"

"Moreover, although I’ve been detained, I anticipated such desires since the day I received the token from my master. I had already hidden it in a secret place known only to me, and never revealed it to anyone else."

Zhouyang’s suspicions seemed to ease upon hearing this explanation, yet he still questioned in a doubtful tone, "But my point remains, how can you prove it’s all true, and not a lie you’ve woven to trick me into freeing you from confinement?"

The Corpse Demon was repeatedly questioned, its dried, monkey-like face with green corpse hair twisted, revealing a fierce glow in its eyes, clearly growing impatient and struggling to suppress its killing intent.

But it ultimately managed to restrain itself, responding in a hoarse voice, "It’s simple enough, I’ll tell you the location of Donglai Immortal Island; you can go verify its existence personally!"

"That indeed sounds like a good idea, but as you mentioned before, Donglai Immortal Island is hidden and sealed with a Tier Seven Immortal Array, even Nascent Soul Stage cultivators find nothing unusual when they go. How could I, merely at Golden Core Stage, possibly verify it?"

Zhouyang initially nodded slightly, agreeing with the Corpse Demon’s words, but then shook his head, expressing his concerns.

Upon hearing this, Corpse Demon immediately replied, "You need not worry. Over ten thousand years have passed, and even a Tier Seven Immortal Array, if left unsupervised, should have some problems, especially since that area already has strong earth vein activities. If you follow my instructions and observe carefully, discovering anomalies shouldn’t be difficult."

"That indeed sounds feasible. Then please, Senior, enlighten me. Once I verify the truth, I will surely return to rescue Senior from confinement right away!"

With a slight nod, Zhouyang cupped his hands together, promptly replacing "Sir" with "Senior," as if he had already been convinced by the Corpse Demon.

Seeing this, the Corpse Demon finally managed a slight grin on its hairy face—a rather sinister grin.

Its eyes gleamed with green light, as it looked at Zhouyang and said, "You have a blank jade scroll with you, right? Give me a jade scroll and a sea chart, and I will draw you a map."

"Then I’ll have to trouble Senior."

Saying this, Zhouyang fetched a sea chart of the overseas cultivation realm and a blank jade scroll from his storage ring as instructed and tossed them over.

First, Corpse Demon inserted its Divine Sense into the sea chart to inspect the current sea division map, then cross-referencing with its memories, it recorded the route and specific directions to Donglai Immortal Island region meticulously in the blank jade scroll and handed it back to Zhouyang.

"Follow the instructions on the jade scroll, and you’ll find Donglai Immortal Island."

It handed back the jade scroll to Zhouyang, coldly laughing as it said, "But don’t blame me for not warning you—the formations of Donglai Immortal Island, though not what they once were, are certainly not something a Golden Core Stage cultivator like you can rashly intrude upon. If you plan to find the place and abandon me to search for treasure on your own, you’ll absolutely die without knowing how!"

"Rest assured, Senior, I’m not foolish enough to perform such unwise actions."

Zhouyang took the jade scroll, glancing briefly at the information inside, and responded with a smile to Corpse Demon’s warning.

With a flick of his wrist, he stored the jade scroll into his storage ring, then tapped his forehead and remarked, "By the way, Senior didn’t seem to mention how you turned into Corpse Demon. I’m quite curious about this, you know!"

The Corpse Demon’s expression suddenly darkened, eyes filled with fierce light as it locked its gaze onto Zhouyang and ominously warned, "Young man, sometimes having too much curiosity isn’t a good thing!"

Zhouyang, however, appeared unaware of its menacingly spoken words, smiling innocently as he continued his inquiry, "Since Senior doesn’t wish to speak about this matter, I shall change the question. Where did you get this Exorcism Treasure Robe from? Did your senior brother, knowing you’d become Corpse Demon, specially leave this Demon Suppression Treasure to bind you, so you’d remain trapped even after death?"

"Young man, don’t you think you’re asking too many questions?"

The Corpse Demon coldly stared at Zhouyang, seemingly realizing something, its tone now carrying a hint of killing intent.

"Senior has repeatedly refused to answer the questions in the junior’s heart, putting the junior in a difficult position. Does the senior not trust the junior at all?"

Zhouyang’s expression also changed, his gaze cold and piercing as he stared down the Corpse Demon, utterly unafraid.

After they stared at each other for a long time, the thin monkey face of the Corpse Demon twisted slightly, finally breaking the silence: "You know, after becoming a Corpse Demon, only most of the memories from one’s life are retained, not all. I truly do not know how I became a Corpse Demon. As for the origin of the Exorcism Treasure Robe, I do know it originally belonged to Master Donglai, who later bestowed it to his eldest disciple."

"Is that so!"

Zhouyang’s expression softened, appearing to believe the words of the Corpse Demon.

He nodded slightly and said, "If that’s the case, I have no further questions."

With that, he took a step as if to leave.

Seeing this, the Corpse Demon’s ghostly green eyes flashed with joy, a sinister smile appearing on its monkey-like face.

But its smile didn’t last long before it turned into utter shock and fury.

Because just as Zhouyang turned around, in the next moment, he swung his sleeve, hurling all three Profound Celestial Fire Thunder Pearls toward the eight Golden Core Stage cultivators by the Cyan Jade Bed, including Wei Tao and Huang Yunxing.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three consecutive explosions erupted, the raging golden thunderfire engulfing more than half of the underground hall, causing the ground to tremble violently.

Fortunately, the underground hall had been reinforced by arrays, allowing it to withstand such a violent explosion without much damage. Otherwise, Zhouyang would have buried himself a thousand feet underground with this move.

"You little brat, you deserve to die!"

After the explosion, amidst the lingering aftermath of golden thunderfire, the ghostly green eyes of the Corpse Demon fixed fiercely on Zhouyang, its throat letting out a thunderous roar of anger.

It naturally wasn’t harmed much by the explosion, but Wei Tao, Huang Yunxing, and the other eight Golden Core cultivators were all blown to pieces and reduced to ashes.

This meant its plan to escape on its own had completely failed. How could it not be furious?

"You are the one who deserves to die!"

Zhouyang stared coldly at the Corpse Demon, a chilling smile on his face: "Did you think Zhou would not see through your scheme? Trying to use news of the Donglai Immortal Island to stall Zhou, to deceive him into leaving, then absorbing their essence to escape and laying a trap to capture Zhou upon his return? What a cunning plan!"

The Corpse Demon’s face changed instantly, not expecting its plan to be seen through by Zhouyang so early.

But being a Corpse Demon, an evil and vile existence, it quickly snarled back angrily: "So what if you know? Do you really think that with your meager strength, you can leap through ranks and kill me?"

Upon hearing this, Zhouyang replied loudly: "Whether I can or not, I will only know after I’ve tried!"

Then his expression hardened, and he shouted angrily: "Demon, prepare to meet your end!"

Before his voice had even faded, he had already summoned the Qianyang Treasure Pearl, a Tier Seven Immortal Artifact, transforming it into a golden fireball and hurling it at the Corpse Demon.

To deal with this Corpse Demon at the Nascent Soul Stage, Zhouyang knew his other methods were ineffective, only the Qianyang True Flame could truly harm and possibly refine the opponent.

What was more advantageous was that the Corpse Demon was currently confined on the Cyan Jade Bed, unable to leave. Facing the burning Qianyang True Flame, it had no choice but to endure it head on.

"A Tier Seven Immortal Artifact! To think a mere Golden Core Stage cultivator like you could possess a Tier Seven Immortal Artifact! So that’s why your Qianyang True Flame is so powerful, it’s amplified by this Tier Seven Immortal Artifact!"

The Corpse Demon looked at the incoming golden fireball, its eyes filled with shock and anger, its face full of disbelief.

Zhouyang’s might repeatedly exceeded its expectations, catching it off guard.

But naturally, it wouldn’t sit idly and await its death, nor would it allow Zhouyang to slaughter it.

Roar!

A roar erupted from the mouth of the Corpse Demon, its previously seated body on the Cyan Jade Bed suddenly stood up. The emaciated form rapidly inflated as if filled with air, and in the blink of an eye turned into a towering giant standing thirteen feet tall.

Clang!

Due to the Corpse Demon rising and changing size, the four silver chains locking it became taut to the extreme, binding it tightly to the Cyan Jade Bed, preventing it from moving even half a foot away.

At the same time, the Exorcism Treasure Robe draped over its body suddenly radiated golden light, vigorously suppressing the raging grey-white Corpse Qi emanating from it.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

A sharp sound filled the air as the Corpse Demon, even restrained and suppressed, launched a fierce counterattack against Zhouyang.

Its long grey-white hair suddenly burst into grey-white light, forming a net of grey-white hair that enveloped the approaching golden fireball.

Simultaneously, it waved its claws, and ten two-foot-long grey-green nails suddenly broke cleanly, transforming into ten rays of grey-green Sword Light shooting swiftly towards Zhouyang.

Using hair and nails as magical artifacts was the only material the Corpse Demon could obtain for artifact refining under its confinement and suppression.

These hair and nails, refined with its Corpse Qi for many years, although limited by their material and its artifact refining skill, could not compare to a Tier Six Spiritual Artifact, the instantaneous power released was not inferior.

Unfortunately, Zhouyang reacted much faster than it anticipated.

Upon seeing its body transform, Zhouyang suddenly tossed the golden treasure tower he had been holding, allowing it to expand and take him inside, leaving only a towering golden treasure tower of over ten feet high to face the grey-green Sword Light.

Clang clang clang clang clang!

The ten rays of grey-green Sword Light slashed continuously on the golden treasure tower, causing the tower to shake violently, yet unable to breach the tower and harm Zhouyang inside.

Meanwhile, as Zhouyang sat in the golden tower, he formed a spell with his hands, conjuring golden flames that rose from the base of the golden tower, quickly enveloping the entire structure.

With the protective layer of golden flames, each slash from the grey-green Sword Light diminished its power, after only a few attacks, the Corpse Demon, unable to bear the damage to its ten Nail Flying Swords, voluntarily withdrew them.

If the damage to these Nail Flying Swords only caused the Corpse Demon some heartache, then the loss of its long grey-white hair was painful enough to make it almost bleed.

The power of the Qianyang Treasure Pearl was incredibly domineering, despite its constant sprays of life essence Corpse Qi for enhancement, the oppressive golden True Flames still burned away large quantities of the grey-white hair net.

Each strand of this hair, refined laboriously by the Corpse Demon over countless years, represented decades of hard work turning to waste.

"Young man, do you truly intend to fight to the death with me? Do you not want the legacy of Master Donglai? Without my revelation of the location of the token, even if you reach Nascent Soul Stage cultivation, you would be unable to step onto the Donglai Immortal Island!"

The Corpse Demon roared furiously, clearly feeling the intense pressure from Zhouyang’s attack.

"Ha ha ha, even at this stage, you demon still wish to deceive Zhou by such tricks? Do you not realize how flawed your story is? Though Zhou may not claim to be extraordinarily clever, I am not easily fooled by your shallow tricks!"

Zhouyang snorted coldly, increasing the magical power of the Qianyang Treasure Pearl, showing no intent to relent.

In an instant, two more long strands of the Corpse Demon’s grey-white hair net were burned away, causing it intense heartache, prompting a loud cry: "No, I am not deceiving you, I truly know the location of Donglai Immortal Island, and the map I provided is genuine. If you don’t believe it, I can swear!"

Its eyes, full of fear, stared at Zhouyang, shouting: "I can sign a blood oath with you; if you cease your attack now and sincerely help me escape, I will surely lead you to the token post my escape, using it to grant you entry to Donglai Immortal Island,"

Upon hearing this, Zhouyang chuckled: "Ha ha ha, a blood oath! Do you truly think Zhou is an ignorant young fool just stepping out into the world? You Corpse Demon, unable to progress in cultivation, have no longevity worries, rejected by the Heavenly Dao and barred from entering Netherworld reincarnation — what binds does a blood oath hold over you?"

The words barely finished when he stared sharply, suddenly yelling: "Stop speaking nonsense, demon! Today marks your doom!"

"Roar! Young man, your oppression is intolerable, I shall fight to the death with you!"

The Corpse Demon roared furiously, realizing that any further negotiation was futile.

It opened its mouth wide, spewing out its meticulously forged Ten Thousand Year Corpse Pearl.