Chapter 60: Temptation

The Demon Refining Gourd was forged by the ancient legendary goddess, Nuwa. Nuwa was an unparalleled sage of the demon clans who aimed to cleanse her people of the cruel and violent ones. However, those demon beasts all possessed immense demonic powers and profound divine abilities. That it could trap these creatures without killing them, subduing them indefinitely, truly demonstrated the gourd’s profound mysteries. Its layered restrictions and numerous seals were so complex that even an expert like the Five Yin Patriarch, who had achieved Primordial Spirit cultivation, could only unlock and utilize a tiny fraction of them. If someone could truly wield this treasure freely, forget Mu Yuan—a tiny cultivator only at the third layer of Qi Refining. Even a genuine Primordial Spirit expert, once captured, would face certain death without escape!

Both Mu Yuan and Xiao Tianyu wandered aimlessly and silently inside the Demon Refining Gourd. The deeper they walked, the deeper their despair. The land beneath their feet seemed to stretch endlessly. They had hoped to encounter the others again, figuring that even if there was no way out, at least it would offer some consolation, better than this utter hopelessness.

After an initial attempt at conversation, they found nothing more to say. Mu Yuan inwardly calculated how to obtain the “Forge Furnace Art” from Xiao Tianyu. Xiao Tianyu, however, was distressed by the constant leakage of his primordial Qi. Despite the vast, barren land before them, he couldn’t extract any trace of earthen spiritual energy from the yellow soil. He had driven his Forge Furnace Art countless times, all to no avail!

The Demon Refining Gourd must have held countless demon beasts in its time. As the two struggled with their troubles, another demon beast emerged. A brown dragon with wings flapped its wings and soared up from the trees. Gaunt and bony, its eyes gleamed with a red light. Shockingly, it had six claws sprouting from its belly. Spotting the two cultivators, it let out a low roar. Waves of flickering black lightning erupted across its body, crashing directly down!

“One that still knows magic!” Mu Yuan murmured in surprise. All the demon beasts he’d encountered along the way had been stripped entirely of their magical powers and divine abilities. This flying dragon, however, could still command lightning! Still, judging by its state, whatever power remained was minimal, unlikely to cause much disturbance. Instantly, Mu Yuan summoned a purple talismanic seal formed from his Dragon King’s Dynamic Force. With a crackling surge, it absorbed every trace of the dragon’s black lightning the moment it left the creature!

The brown dragon was terrified. In this region, it had been a formidable predator, countless beasts and birds ending up in its maw. As it beat its wings, desperate to flee, Mu Yuan roared. He raised a hand, unleashing the Ice Soul Divine Light as he willed it. Instantly, the dragon froze solid. Mu Yuan then sucked the icy mass straight into his Black Water Gourd.

This flying dragon was a remnant of an incredibly violent and savage demon beast from ancient times, one that had achieved an undying dragon body. Though its primordial Qi had long been depleted by the gourd, its formidable physical form—bones, blood, and veins tempered by immense demonic energies—remained intact. Mu Yuan felt no affection for this winged, hybrid dragon kind. He thought, perhaps once he learned artifact-forging, this dragon corpse could serve as excellent material.

The lightning talismanic seal returned to his Dantian. Immediately, it rippled out arcs of crackling electric energy, replenishing the Dragon King’s Dynamic Force. Mu Yuan felt invigorated. The six sword pills orbiting his body shone brightly once more, blossoming with light as countless green rings coiled around him like layers of branches and vines.

Xiao Tianyu, drained and weakened by the loss of his Qi, looked shocked. “Fellow Daoist, what technique is this? It actually replenishes primordial Qi?”

Mu Yuan had deliberately shown him this with that very intention. Smiling now at the question, he replied, “It’s actually the Brilliant Salvation Curse which Master Yuan Jue mentioned. I just discovered this talisman can absorb the vital essence of others and convert it into curse strength. And if the curse strength becomes strong enough, it can cycle back to replenish me!”

Xiao Tianyu’s eyes brightened. He spoke with a hint of embarrassment, “Might… might my fellow Daoist be willing to teach me this curse? It could mean the difference between life and death in this forsaken place.”

The constant assault of the gourd’s power had already consumed most of his Zhenqi over this time. Although he had cultivated a Yin Spirit, granting his Zhenqi the properties of Earth Malice, even that couldn’t be sustained indefinitely. If powerful demon beasts had been worn down to such wretched states, what chance did he stand?

Mu Yuan felt inwardly pleased, but kept it hidden. He replied earnestly, “It isn’t that I refuse to teach you. It’s just… the master who originally passed this curse art to me… he strictly advised against casually teaching it to others.”

Mu Yuan emphasized the words “casually teaching,” clearly implying that sharing was possible – just not freely given.

Xiao Tianyu, ever sharp-witted, caught the hint immediately. He quickly offered, “I possess a Daoist art scroll – the Myriad Illusion Azure Thunder technique. I acquired it by chance. If my fellow Daoist agrees, I would gladly trade it!”

“Myriad Illusion Azure Thunder?” Mu Yuan thought silently, slightly dismissive, I already master the Dragon King’s Dynamic Force. What need do I have for your Myriad Illusion Thunder? He kept this to himself, letting a troubled expression settle on his face. “I also practice thunder arts. I’m afraid the Myriad Illusion Azure Thunder holds little appeal for me.”

Xiao Tianyu quickly proposed another offer, “Then, how about this flying sword?”

Mu Yuan took a closer look. A little over a foot long, the sword in Xiao Tianyu’s hand blazed with a brilliant silver light. Its surface seemed to ripple and flow like liquid mercury. Though it looked fascinating, Mu Yuan stayed resolute in his goal of acquiring the “Forge Furnace Art”. He hesitated, stammering slightly, “I… I’ve long heard that the Forge Furnace Art is unparalleled under heaven. Its power over Earthen Primordial Energy, capable of nurturing all things… I confess my admiration.” His meaning was clear.

Xiao Tianyu’s face instantly darkened. He stated firmly, “The Forge Furnace Art is the direct lineage transmission art passed down within my sect. Outsiders must never learn it!”

Mu Yuan offered only a faint smile in response. He said nothing more, simply bowing his head and resuming their trek. Xiao Tianyu’s expression flickered through several changes. His magical power was significantly reduced, making the gourd’s relentless draining force all the stronger and harder to resist. He gritted his teeth.

Meanwhile, Old Daoist Danhuo had transformed himself into just a tiny spark of flame. He sank beneath the lake, quickly reaching the cave entrance where the Saber-Toothed Drake lay sprawled outside the Five Yin Patriarch’s lair. Though its wounds were healing and no longer life-threatening, its primordial Qi was greatly diminished. Without ten days to half a month, recovery was impossible. Spiritless and exhausted, the massive beast slept deeply.

Old Daoist Danhuo himself was a Primordial Spirit level expert; otherwise, the leader of the Medicine God Valley wouldn’t have entrusted his daughter to his care. Evading this lumbering beast presented no real problem.

The small flame elongated into a long, twisting thread of fire, coiling like a snake as it slithered silently over the stone door. Seals etched into the door posed no significant barrier to a Nascent Soul level powerhouse. More importantly, the Five Yin Patriarch had applied those talismanic scripts casually, never truly anticipating a peer-level opponent would one day seek him out within the gourd. Old Daoist Danhuo slipped inside with astonishing ease!

Beyond the stone door lay an immensely spacious stone chamber. It was clean, neat, and serene. Embedded into the ceiling were several dragon-eye-sized luminous pearls, casting a soft yet radiant light that illuminated the entire underwater chamber with crystalline clarity. Every speck of dust was visible. Surrounding him were several arched passages leading to other rooms. Old Daoist Danhuo focused his senses for just an instant, pinpointing the Five Yin Patriarch’s location instantly.

While achieving the Primordial Spirit stage meant one’s spirit merged harmoniously with the Dao, resonating with nature and making it possible to conceal one’s aura completely, the Five Yin Patriarch was clearly struggling. He was unable to fully suppress the turbulent energies of the Demon Refining Gourd with his own Primordial Spirit. If they were separate, both the Patriarch and the gourd could remain undetectable. But now, locked fiercely together, their mutually agitating energies formed a faint but distinct signature impossible for Old Daoist Danhuo to miss.

Primordial Spirit against Primordial Spirit – Danhuo proceeded with extreme caution. Though he didn’t recognize the Demon Refining Gourd explicitly, its divine nature deeply unsettled him. Moving without a sound, he placed several weak flames at strategic points within the outer stone chamber. Simultaneously, tiny banners detached themselves from his Primordial Spirit, drifting down to settle upon each flame. These were Danhuo’s essential life-bound treasures: the Capital Heaven Fiery Flags!

While famous for alchemy, Medicine God Valley’s practitioners were also formidable masters of fiery Dao Arts. Compare Hua Xin and Jin Yun – their yang fire Zhenqi wasn’t inferior to that of any other cultivators among their peers. They stood at the top tier. But Old Daoist Danhuo surpassed them. After Gathering Aura and Condensing Malice, achieving Elixir Formation, and ascending to Primordial Spirit, he pushed further. He cultivated the Capital Heaven True Fire, said to be the same fierce blaze wielded by the legendary Demonic Path titan, Zhu Rong. Infinitely powerful, the Capital Heaven Fiery Flags amplified this fire’s destructive potential to its absolute peak. Arranged as the Capital Heaven Fiery Formation, its annihilating power was peerless!

Only once he had quietly woven the Capital Heaven Fiery Formation around the chamber did Old Daoist Danhuo feel confident. He crept towards the inner doorway where the Five Yin Patriarch sat. Probing carefully with his divine sense, he found the Patriarch in deep meditation. Above his head hovered a sphere of eerie green light like spectral fire. His physical form emitted faint sparks of starlight, creating a jarring duality – half serene and scholarly, half chillingly sinister and terrifying.

“Perfect timing!” Snarled Old Daoist Danhuo. Without hesitation, he hurled a crackling mass of thunderous fire straight at the swirling green ghost-light hovering above the Five Yin Patriarch’s head!

Earlier, the Five Yin Patriarch’s emergence had been momentary, but sufficient for Danhuo to appraise his foe. He perceived instantly that the Patriarch was a Primordial Spirit inhabiting a seized vessel (a magical treasure). Danhuo calculated that striking the physical form directly might prove futile against such a construct. Thus, he employed his sect’s most powerful technique: the Heaven-Shaking Fire Thunder, aiming directly to blast the Patriarch’s spectral Primordial Spirit manifestation!

Caught mid-mediation while still fusing his spirit to the host body, the Five Yin Patriarch was unprepared for the ambush. The Heaven-Shaking Fire Thunder was almost upon his crown before his Primordial Spirit registered the lethal threat. He roared, the sound rolling through the chamber like thunder! His green radiance flickered violently as his spirit recoiled in shock and fear.

A sinister net woven of darkness and poisonous verdant light erupted from his Primordial Spirit core. Streaks of dark energy shimmered across its strands as it met the Heaven-Shaking Fire Thunder head-on in a violent, shattering clash!

Old Daoist Danhuo seized the opening ruthlessly. With a swift pointing finger, he unleashed a thick, blazing serpent of fire! It coiled and twisted like a snake, radiating unbearable heat. The very air around it seemed to warp and shimmer from the heat. Even the sturdy stone walls appeared to soften and begin melting!

Howls of fury burst from the Five Yin Patriarch. The collision between the Heaven-Shaking Fire Thunder and his Yin Malice-Soul Snaring Net resulted in a devastating explosion. Thunder boomed, fierce winds whipped through the cramped space! The Patriarch felt his mind and spirit shaken violently. Dizziness flooded him. Yet, before he could recover, Danhuo’s fire serpent transformed into a blazing sword of pure flame, slashing towards his very face!

He strained, lifting his hands upward. The refining and absorbing power inherent to the Demon Refining Gourd surged wildly around him, lurching forward to meet the incoming fire serpent/ sword. As the two forces touched, the area instantly compressed then plunged, generating an unseen vortex of consuming force!

Old Daoist Danhuo instantly retracted his flying sword. Sensing the Patriarch’s savage exertion, feeling the sucking force intensify dramatically, Danhuo let out a sharp, mocking laugh. His dragon-sword seemed to exhale blazing pearls! Intense beams of razor-sharp sword Qi erupted forth, aggressively ramming with the Five Yin Patriarch’s pulling force! A torrential storm of dragon fire and razor Qi surged violently into the Patriarch’s body. Despite the stolen vessel’s near-unbreakable toughness, ravaged by this chaotic assault of explosive power, agony was inevitable!

Old Daoist Danhuo chuckled strangely. He knew these two ruthless strikes would inflict severe damage. Rather than press an immediate advantage, he strategically retreated, luring the enraged, injured Five Yin Patriarch out of the inner stone chamber and straight into the already laid Capital Heaven Fiery Formation!