"This blood-colored coffin must belong to Blood Demon Ancestor. Is he transforming Wulu's body?" Yuan Ming thought to himself upon witnessing the scene.

Wulu's current strength wasn't too strong. With Blood Demon Ancestor's methods, if he really refined him into a refining corpse, Wulu probably wouldn't be able to put up any effective resistance and would be quickly turned.

Yuan Ming and Wulu had known each other for a long time and were intimate friends. Now that he had seen this, he naturally couldn't just watch him fall like this.

Thinking over it, he activated his Divine Sense, exploring outside of the Blood Jade Coffin to pinpoint Wulu's current location.

However, the coffin walls had some sort of forbiddance, and the Divine Sense affected by Black Incense, without the enhancement of the Stealing Heaven Tripod, was easily repelled.

Yuan Ming thought deeply for a moment, then tried to influence Wulu with his Soul Seal Divine Skill to awaken him.

But at that moment, an invisible force surged from within Wulu's Divine Soul, blocking the effect of the Soul Seal.

Yuan Ming was secretly alarmed. The possession of Black Incense was exceptionally covert and had never been discovered by anyone. His Soul Seal Divine Skill, even when used against those whose cultivation was far above his, might not affect the opponent but had never been detected—yet, today, an exception had occurred.

He saw Wulu's Divine Soul emit strands of blue light, slowly condensing into a grey Stone Talisman phantom, the same Heavenly Escape Stone Talisman he had seen once before.

Yuan Ming's eyebrows flickered, ceased applying the Soul Seal, and the Heavenly Escape Stone Talisman vanished accordingly.

"It seems the Heavenly Escape Stone Talisman is protecting Wulu's Divine Soul from being tainted. There's no trace of Blood Demon Ancestor's presence within Wulu's Sea of Consciousness. It seems he hasn't discovered this item yet. With the protection of the Heavenly Escape Stone Talisman, even if Wulu is turned into a refining corpse, his life shouldn't be in great danger for the time being." Yuan Ming thought to himself.

He was slightly relieved, and seeing that he was temporarily unable to awaken him, he turned to study the eighty-one Corpse Refining Runes on the walls of the blood-colored coffin.

The blood light emitted by these runes was a mix of Qi-Blood power and Yin Qi, infusing into various parts of Wulu's body, some in the muscles, some in the bones, some in the meridians.

Wulu's body was absorbing the blood light quickly, visibly enhancing his physical strength.

"Such a clever method of refining corpses, a pity I can't see the whole picture," Yuan Ming lamented.

He sensed for a moment longer until the possession time ended, and his consciousness returned to his own body.

Yuan Ming fell silent for a moment, then entered the Stealing Heaven Tripod space.

He told Xi Ying about the eighty-one Corpse Refining Runes he had seen, but Xi Ying knew little about the art of refining corpses and could not deduce Blood Demon Ancestor's purpose.

Yuan Ming shook his head, stood up, and walked to a corner of the Stealing Heaven Tripod space.

The Undying Tree Demon Avatar lay there, transformed into a black giant tree, its roots completely severed and firmly restrained by a Great Array—clearly Xi Ying's doing.

The Undying Tree Demon Avatar had already awakened. Seeing Yuan Ming approach, it roared, "What is this place? You outsiders are despicable and shameless, always claiming victory by outnumbering your opponents. If you have the guts, just kill me!"

"Then as you wish," Yuan Ming said with a faint smile, shooting several black roots from his palm, piercing into the Undying Tree Demon Avatar.

"Who are you? Why do you possess the power of the Undying Tree!" The Undying Tree Demon Avatar shouted, both shocked and furious.

Yuan Ming ignored it, more roots piercing into the adversary's body.

Streams of Undying Tree Demon Power were drawn forth, merging into his Undying Tree within him.

The power of the Undying Tree within Yuan Ming's Dantian once again increased, soon reaching the Half-step Level 5 stage.

The Demon Power within the Undying Tree Avatar was still abundant, and pleased with this, he absorbed it more fervently, aiming to make a final push to break through to Level 5 completely.

However, contrary to Yuan Ming's expectations, no matter how hard he tried to absorb it, the Undying Tree in his Dantian could not step over that threshold.

"Don't bother trying, one cannot forcibly break through to the Returning Void Stage with external force," the voice of Qi Ye came from within the Shura Blood Devouring Map.

"What do you mean by this, Senior Qi Ye? Why is the Returning Void Stage so special? Please enlighten me," Yuan Ming stopped and asked.

"The stages of Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and Nascent Soul, although possessing power and lifespans beyond a mortal's imagination, are still mortal in essence. The Returning Void Stage, however, is different, representing the transition from being mortal to becoming immortal. One cannot break through using external force; enlightenment of the heavenly Dao is required," Qi Ye explained.

After hearing this, Yuan Ming fell silent for a while, then ceased his conflict and withdrew the black roots.

The black Undying Tree was now strong enough for his use.

Now debilitated, the Undying Tree Avatar lost consciousness.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming set up another layer of measures around the tree before departing.

The tree was of no great use to him, but the remaining Demon Power within it was substantial and could be absorbed by Hua Zhi to further enhance his strength.

"Now that the matters of Three Immortals Island are completely resolved, Senior Qi Ye, what are your plans going forward?" Yuan Ming sat near the altar, took out the Shura Blood Devouring Map, and asked simultaneously.

"I came to the Yunhuang Continent to find the Evil King Mirror, to destroy this object and avenge my kin. Now that the mirror is in your hands, and the Shura Blood Devouring Map has been refined by you, and I have fully integrated with the spirit of this map, naturally, I will follow you," Qi Ye said.

"Your origins are unclear, and you once existed at the Returning Void stage with many techniques at your disposal. Having you by my side, I can't be at ease," Yuan Ming said slowly.

"Then what do you suggest, Young Friend?" Qi Ye asked in a calm and unhurried manner.

"Senior Qi Ye, you may stay within the Shura Blood Devouring Map, but you must allow me to plant a forbiddance within you, otherwise, I will have no choice but to completely destroy you," Yuan Ming stated bluntly.

"Agreed," Qi Ye accepted without hesitation.

Yuan Ming's eyes flickered with surprise, but he quickly regained his composure. Placing a hand on the Shura Blood Devouring Map, swirling black Qi swarmed out and entered Qi Ye's body.

Qi Ye did not resist and calmly accepted Yuan Ming's casting.

A whole day and night passed before Yuan Ming finally ceased.

By then, Qi Ye's body was covered with black runes, resembling countless ants, which looked extremely eerie.

Yuan Ming quickly formed hand seals, bit the tip of his tongue, and sprayed out a mouthful of Essence Blood, merging it into Qi Ye's body.

A layer of Blood Light shone on Qi Ye, absorbing all the black runes into his body, completely vanishing within a few breaths.

This was a secret technique from the Six Desires Venerable, the Six Soul Heart Mantra, capable of completely controlling a person's body and mind. If the subject had any thoughts, the caster could sense them immediately.

The technique consumed a great amount of Divine Soul Power. Even with Yuan Ming's current Soul Power, his complexion turned slightly pale, and he took several deep breaths before recovering.

"Now, can you be at ease?" Qi Ye said.

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Qi Ye, I won't bind you forever. The day I no longer need it, I will naturally set you free," Yuan Ming said.

"Heh, I don't care about being free. In the future, when Yuan gives me the Evil King Mirror to destroy, appeasing the spirits of my deceased family will suffice," Qi Ye said indifferently.

Yuan Ming sensed the fluctuations in Qi Ye's emotions, using the Six Soul Heart Mantra to listen to his thoughts and found that Qi Ye's words just now were genuine and truthful, without deceit.

He did not say anything more at that moment, gathered up the Shura Blood Devouring Map, and then waved his hand.

A cracked black mirror flew towards him, the very Evil King Mirror.

Ever since he obtained this item, there had been constant chaos, leaving him without time to inspect this Demon World Spiritual Treasure.

Yuan Ming carefully activated his Divine Sense, probing into the Evil King Mirror.

Meanwhile, his first soul flew over, wrapping around the Soul Destroying Sword, hovering mid-air, ready to strike in case the Evil King Mirror showed any sign of activity.

The mirror was exceedingly strange, and he had to be cautious.

The Evil King Mirror lay quietly on the ground without any anomaly, seemingly having been heavily damaged and lost its power after being struck by Abyss Sword Energy.

Yuan Ming circulated his Divine Sense deeper into the Evil King Mirror and quickly his expression showed astonishment.

Magical treasures from the Demon World differed greatly from those of Yunhuang Continent. Yunhuang Continent's treasures contained only runes, nothing else, while the Evil King Mirror was engraved with many complex patterns resembling arrays, progressing in layers, extending deep into the mirror where a faint presence of rune essence was emitted.

"What are these patterns?" Yuan Ming pondered to himself, carefully probing the core area of the Evil King Mirror.

Boom!

Suddenly, the wailing of countless resentful souls echoed in his ears. A tremendous Curse Power surged from within the Evil King Mirror, far surpassing the Curse Power produced by Curse Runes, invading his Sea of Consciousness via his Divine Sense.

Yuan Ming's expression instantly twisted, veins bulged on his forehead, his head felt as if it was about to explode, leaving him unable to think or move.

His hair turned yellowish and dry, and his clothes quickly faded and rotted.

Seeing this, his first soul was shocked and immediately controlled the Soul Destroying Sword to strike, sending the Evil King Mirror flying.

The Divine Sense Yuan Ming had released dissipated, and the Curse Power also retreated back into the Evil King Mirror.

Yuan Ming gasped heavily, sat down with eyes closed, and it took him a while to recover.

"Indeed, it is a Demon Treasure from the Demon World. Such terrifying Curse Power…" He opened his eyes still showing a trace of lingering fear.

If his first soul had not made a quick decision, he could not imagine what state he would be in now.

Yuan Ming looked at the Evil King Mirror, deep in thought.

From what just happened, it was clear that the Evil King Mirror had been severely damaged and its spirit greatly lessened. If it were simply left here, it would pose no danger.

Yet, such an Exotic Treasure, being left idle would be too much of a waste. If he could control the Evil King Mirror, even just basic control, and mobilize the Curse Power contained within, the mirror could serve as an ace up his sleeve.

Qi Ye surely knew much about the Evil King Mirror, but Yuan Ming did not trust him; it would be safer to explore on his own.

After a slight pause, he formed hand seals and started refining the Evil King Mirror using the Sacrificial Refining Secret Technique taught to him by the Shura Master.

This Sacrificial Refining Secret Technique was very likely from the Demon World. Using it to refine the Evil King Mirror — a Demon Treasure — should yield unique effects.

As he expected, the refining of the Evil King Mirror went smoothly, and the patterns in the outer area quickly seeped into his Mana, creating a slight connection between him and the mirror.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming stopped casting and threw the Evil King Mirror out of the Stealing Heaven Tripod.

The virtual fluctuations of the sea bottom Cave Mansion stirred as the Evil King Mirror spontaneously emerged, "clang" it hit the ground, rolling twice before stopping.

Yuan Ming took a deep breath, circulated his Divine Sense out of the Stealing Heaven Tripod, and probed again into the Evil King Mirror.

The Curse Power within the Evil King Mirror was far too terrifying. Now, with some connection with the mirror, this might help him control the Curse Power within, yet it also increased the danger manifold. Only by casting from behind the protection of the Stealing Heaven Tripod could he feel somewhat safer.

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