336: Chapter 336 luring and killing an eighth-level demon!

In the center of Biling Island, a brand new Immortal Cave had risen from the ground.

Zhao Wen, with those mechanical Puppets, had taken less than three days to carve out a moderately scaled and fully functional Immortal Cave inside the highest stone peak at the center of the island.

They had excavated a spacious passageway from the mountainside; the walls on both sides of the passage were polished smooth, and every few steps, a night-luminescent pearl was embedded, emitting a soft glow.

At the end of the passage, several stone rooms were arranged in sequence; each one was square, spacious, and well-ventilated, without the slightest feeling of stuffiness.

Inside the Immortal Cave, there were stone rooms, a Quiet Room, a Pill Refining Room, an Artifact Refining Room, and a storage room, all fully equipped. A spacious reception hall had even been specially opened up, furnished with stone tables and chairs, and a tea set was placed on the table.

Although the decoration was simple and lacked ornate furnishings, it was clean, tidy, and filled with abundant Spiritual Qi, making it quite comfortable to live in.

Xiaomei had also hung a string of seashell wind chimes in her room; when the sea breeze passed through the passage, it would make a crisp and melodious sound.

After everyone moved into the Immortal Cave, they were officially settled on Biling Island.

Xiaomei was busy arranging her and Xin Ruyin's rooms, organizing the bedding and clothes they had brought, and placing a few pots of flowers and plants she had brought from the ship on the windowsill, adding a touch of green and vitality to the gray-white stone room.

Xin Ruyin was inspecting the concentration of Spiritual Qi around the Immortal Cave, calculating where it would be most appropriate to set up a Spirit Gathering Formation. She held a jade brush in her hand, writing and drawing on a piece of animal hide, planning the layout of the Formation.

Xia Xinyan and Zhao Wen also each found their own living quarters and began to organize their respective items.

Lu Qiu stood at the entrance of the Immortal Cave, looking out at the desolate, gray-white island before him. The sea breeze blew through his hair and robes, and a profound light flashed in his eyes.

For the next ten years or so, he did not plan to leave Biling Island again.

He wanted to use this rare period of tranquility to properly digest his huge gains from the Void Heaven Palace and raise his cultivation and Divine Ability to another level.

The secrets of the void heaven cauldron, the refining of the dark blue bead, and the use of the ten thousand year spirit milk all required time to research and practice.

Moreover, Ruyin was about to attempt the Nascent Soul Formation, so he also needed to act as a Protector nearby to ensure nothing went wrong.

He called for Lu Jiaoer and the Black Water Poison Python and instructed, "You two, bring all the Spirit Stones mined over these years to me. I want to take inventory and see how much wealth we have."

Lu Jiaoer and the Black Water Poison Python accepted the order and left. A moment later, they returned to the Immortal Cave with dozens of bulging Storage Pouches.

Those Storage Pouches were stuffed full, so much so that the openings could not be tied shut. Faint, colorful spiritual lights leaked from the gaps, illuminating the entire reception hall in a kaleidoscope of colors.

Lu Jiaoer and the Black Water Poison Python placed the Storage Pouches on the ground one by one, and soon they piled up into a small hill.

When Lu Qiu left Biling Island back then, he had left behind hundreds of mechanical Puppets to mine the High-grade Spirit Stone vein underground day and night.

Those Puppets did not know fatigue, did not need food or drink, and only needed regular replacement of Spirit Stones as a power source to work continuously, twelve hours a day without interruption.

With the two Transformed Great Yao, Lu Jiaoer and the Black Water Poison Python, sitting in command, the mining work of those Puppets had always proceeded very smoothly, never having any mishaps, nor had they been disturbed by outside Yao Beasts.

"Master, this is all the Spirit Stones mined over these years." Lu Jiaoer offered a Storage Pouch with both hands and said respectfully, her voice carrying a hint of wanting credit, "The subordinate and Black Water have already done an initial count, and the numbers are recorded on this list."

As she spoke, she handed over a piece of animal hide paper covered with tiny characters, densely recording the quantity of various Spirit Stones.

Lu Qiu took the Storage Pouch and probed it with his Divine Sense. Even with his current state of mind, he couldn't help but be slightly startled, and his pupils dilated a bit.

Inside the Storage Pouch, the mountain of Spirit Stones emitted a brilliant, multi-colored light—red, yellow, blue, green, purple—reflecting off each other like a dazzling starry sky. The dense Spiritual Qi was almost condensed into substance; just inhaling a breath of that Spiritual Qi made one feel refreshed, and the magic power in the body seemed to become active!

Among them, there were as many as 1,500 High-grade Spirit Stones!

Each one was crystal clear and sharp-edged, containing majestic and pure energy flowing slowly within the Spirit Stone!

Mid-grade Spirit Stones reached 50,000, piled into a small hill!

And the number of Low-grade Spirit Stones was even more enormous, reaching a staggering million, almost filling several Storage Pouches!

The value of such a huge number of Spirit Stones was probably enough to rival the foundation of any major power in the Chaotic Star Sea!

Even some medium-sized Sects might not have this many Spirit Stones if they added up all their assets!

With this batch of Spirit Stones, he had sufficient financial support for whatever he wanted to do, whether it was buying rare Materials or establishing a power; it was no longer a problem.

"Very good! You have done well!" Lu Qiu nodded with satisfaction and praised them without stinting.

He put all those Spirit Stones into his own spatial bead. There was still a lot of space inside the spatial bead, and these Spirit Stones only occupied a small corner when put inside.

Then, he instructed Lu Jiaoer and the Black Water Poison Python, "The mining work cannot stop. Continue to increase the intensity! I have left you a batch of new Puppets; you must organize them well and continue to mine deep into this vein. I suspect that there are even better things waiting for us deep in this vein. You must pay close attention to the changes in the vein and report any abnormalities to me in time."

He remembered very clearly that in the original story, the Spirit Stone vein on Biling Island was not just simple High-grade Spirit Stones!

Deepest in this vein, there were extremely rare Top-Grade Spirit Stones hidden!

Those were treasures that even Soul Transformation Cultivators would go crazy for!

The value of one Top-Grade Spirit Stone was enough to be worth thousands of High-grade Spirit Stones! Moreover, the Spiritual Qi contained in Top-Grade Spirit Stones was purer and could be used to drive some special Magic Treasures and Formations, and could even help Cultivators comprehend the Heavenly Dao!

If one could obtain a Top-Grade Spirit Stone, that would be a real profit!

Hearing this, Lu Jiaoer and the Black Water Poison Python also had a glimmer of anticipation in their eyes, and they quickly replied, "Yes! Master! The subordinates will definitely do their best to mine more Spirit Stones for Master! We will never let Master down!"

Subsequently, Lu Qiu refined hundreds of new mechanical Puppets. These Puppets were more advanced than the previous ones, adopting new rune designs, with higher mining efficiency, lower energy consumption, and more durability.

He handed these Puppets to Lu Jiaoer and the Black Water Poison Python, letting them continue to expand the scale of mining, striving to reach the depths of the vein early and find the legendary Top-Grade Spirit Stones.

In a flash, two and a half years had passed since Lu Qiu and his party arrived at Biling Island.

During these two and a half years, Lu Qiu spent most of his time in closed-door Cultivation, occasionally coming out to guide the practice of Xin Ruyin and Xiaomei, or to check the progress of the Spirit Stone mining.

Xin Ruyin's cultivation was improving day by day, and she had already touched the threshold of the Nascent Soul Stage, radiating an Aura of harmony and Perfection, just one step away.

Xiaomei had also broken through to the Late Core Formation Stage, and she was much more energetic, and more handy when casting Spells.

Life on Biling Island was calm and fulfilling, like a paradise isolated from the world, without the disputes and clamor of the outside world.

On this day, in Lu Qiu's Immortal Cave, a peculiar, thick medicinal fragrance, as if from a tide, surged out from the Pill Refining Room, instantly permeating the entire Immortal Cave, and even passing through the gaps in the Immortal Cave to drift into the outside air!

The medicinal fragrance carried a fresh and profound Aura, as if it contained some kind of ultimate truth of heaven and earth, and as if it condensed the Spiritual Qi of the essence of plants and trees; just smelling it made one feel refreshed, the magic power in the body seemed to become active, and even the thinking became clearer!

Xiaomei was watering flowers in the courtyard. Smelling this medicinal fragrance, she couldn't help but take a few deep breaths, feeling much more energetic.

Lu Qiu was in the Pill Refining Room, concentrating on refining a furnace of Medicinal Pills.

Fine beads of sweat seeped out on his forehead, but his hands were as steady as a rock, constantly pinching magic seals, controlling the heat in the Pill Furnace.

Under the Pill Furnace, a cluster of crimson flames was leaping and burning, emitting a scorching temperature. Inside the Pill Furnace, Medicinal Pills the size of dragon eyes, emerald green throughout, and emitting a glistening luster were slowly taking shape, spinning in the Pill Furnace as if they had life.

The thick medicinal fragrance was emanating from these Medicinal Pills, wave after wave, continuous and endless.

This furnace of Medicinal Pill was precisely the nine-curved spirit ginseng pill that he had carefully refined using that precious nine-curved spirit ginseng, combined with a companion demon herb obtained in his early years, and dozens of other rare auxiliary medicines!

To refine this furnace of Medicinal Pill, he had prepared for a full two months. Just the purification of the medicinal Materials took half a month, and the dosage of every auxiliary medicine had been precisely calculated, with no room for the slightest carelessness.

This pill was a supreme Spirit Medicine that assisted people in breaking through the Nascent Soul Bottleneck!

With it, the success rate of Xin Ruyin forming her Nascent Soul could be increased by at least twenty percent!

This thirty percent success rate was already incredibly precious in the face of such a life-or-death barrier as Nascent Soul Formation!

However, after this rich pill fragrance drifted out of the Immortal Cave, it actually floated along the sea breeze into the distant deep sea, where it was captured by an Eighth-Grade Great Demon in the nearby waters that was extremely sensitive to scents!

That was an Eighth-level Demonic Beast covered in dark green scales, resembling a crocodile but possessing a ferocious dragon head!

Its body length was over ten zhang, like a small mountain, lurking in the deep sea, with only a pair of giant, lantern-like eyes exposed, flickering with a ghostly green light in the darkness.

It suddenly smelled a strange fragrance that made it drool!

In that fragrance, there was an Aura of Spirit Medicine that held a great attraction for it, making the blood in its body seem to boil, and even its Demonic Core was trembling slightly!

"What is this smell? Such a rich medicinal fragrance! There must be something good on the island! Perhaps some Heaven And Earth Treasure has matured! Or someone is refining some Divine Pill!" The Eighth-Grade Great Demon suddenly opened its pair of lantern-like giant eyes, a flash of greed appearing in them, and drool flowed from the corners of its mouth, dissolving into the seawater.

It had occupied this sea area for many years and had long known that two Transformed Great Yao lived on Biling Island, and it also knew that there might be some secrets on the island.

But it had never dared to approach easily. After all, those two Transformed Great Yao were not to be trifled with. Although it was conceited, it had no confidence in fighting two at once, and who knew if they had other helpers.

But at this moment, the enticing pill fragrance caused the greed in its heart to overwhelm its reason!

The attraction of that pill fragrance to it was like a cat smelling fish, making it itch with desire and unable to resist.

It felt that if it could obtain the treasure emitting the pill fragrance, its cultivation might be able to advance further, and it was even possible to break through to the Ninth Grade!

"Wealth is sought in danger! Those two Transformed Great Yao might be in seclusion right now; this is the perfect time for me to strike! As long as I can snatch that treasure, I will immediately flee far away, and they won't be able to catch up to me! I am more familiar with this sea area than they are; I can just find any ocean trench to hide in, and they won't be able to find me!" It calculated secretly in its heart, feeling that its luck was good and this opportunity was once in a millennium.

It quietly surfaced, its massive body swimming underwater without making any sound, not even splashing a single drop of water, like a ghost, sneaking toward the direction of Biling Island.

Its movements were extremely cautious, using the cover of the ocean currents to approach the island bit by bit, clearly very skilled at this kind of stealthy sneak attack; it was not the first time it had done such a thing.

However, this Eighth-Grade Great Demon did not know that all its actions had long been seen by Lu Qiu!

Long before refining the nine-curved spirit ginseng pill, Lu Qiu had already learned from Lu Jiaoer and the Black Water Poison Python that in recent years, an Eighth-Grade Great Demon had been frequently wandering the waters near Biling Island, seemingly spying on something.

It was only because it feared the two Transformed Great Yao, Lu Jiaoer and Black Water, that it had never dared to approach.

Lu Jiaoer had once wanted to take the initiative to drive away or kill that Yao Beast, but was stopped by Lu Qiu.

Lu Qiu had kept a watchful eye on it at that time.

He had deliberately removed part of the concealment Formation around the Immortal Cave while refining the pill, allowing that rich pill fragrance to drift out.

He just wanted to use this pill fragrance to lure out that Eighth-Grade Great Demon that had been spying nearby!

Rather than defending passively, it was better to take the initiative and completely eradicate this potential threat!

This was originally a trap set by Lu Qiu! A clever plan to lure the enemy into the urn!

That Eighth-Grade Great Demon cautiously sneaked onto Biling Island, its massive body moving among the grey-white rocks without making much sound, only the faint rustling of scales rubbing against the ground.

Following the enticing pill fragrance, it crept all the way to the vicinity of Lu Qiu's Immortal Cave. It hid behind a huge rock and poked its head out, looking at that seemingly ordinary Immortal Cave, the greed in its eyes intensifying. Its nostrils flared, capturing the residual pill fragrance in the air. It sensed that inside the Immortal Cave, there seemed to be only one Aura that was not too strong, while the Auras of the two Transformed Great Yao were not far away, seemingly sleeping or cultivating, their Auras steady and long.

"Good opportunity! Heaven is helping me! Those two Transformed Great Yao must be cultivating and cannot look after this side! Once I snatch the treasure, it will be too late for them to react!" The Eighth-Grade Great Demon was overjoyed, believing this to be a once-in-a-millennium opportunity!

It hesitated no longer, its massive body suddenly rushing out from behind the rock, its four thick, short legs stomping forcefully on the ground, creating four shallow pits, opening its bloody maw to reveal sharp fangs, and carrying a fishy wind and powerful Aura, it fiercely rammed toward the gate of the Immortal Cave!

It wanted to smash the Immortal Cave gate in one go, snatch the treasure inside, and then make a clean getaway!

However, just at the moment its body was about to hit the gate of the Immortal Cave—

"Hum—!!!"

A huge golden light curtain suddenly rose around it!

On that light curtain, countless mysterious runes flowed ceaselessly, emitting a terrifying Aura that seemed capable of sealing the heavens and the earth and suppressing everything!

The light curtain rose from the ground like a huge cover, trapping it firmly inside! The edges of the light curtain fit seamlessly with the ground, leaving no gaps!

"Not good! It's a trap!" The Eighth-Grade Great Demon's expression changed drastically, and it shouted "oh no" in its heart! It knew it had been tricked!

This was simply a trap! That pill fragrance was simply bait!

Someone had deliberately set a snare to lure it into taking the bait! It wanted to turn and flee, but it was already too late!

The light curtain had completely closed, trapping it inside!

The golden light curtain instantly contracted, transforming into a huge cage, trapping it firmly inside!

Immediately following, countless sharp Sword Qi, blade lights, and thunder-fire emerged from the golden light curtain like a storm, bombarding the Eighth-Grade Great Demon from all directions! Every attack contained terrifying power, enough to split mountains and crack stones, and melt steel!

Those attacks fell like raindrops, dense and swift, leaving the Eighth-Grade Great Demon with no way to dodge!

"Roar—!!!"

The Eighth-Grade Great Demon let out angry and unwilling roars, struggling and resisting with all its might!

It rammed its body against the light curtain, making a muffled, thunderous sound; the light curtain vibrated slightly but did not break. It used its sharp claws to tear at the runes, the claw tips scraping across the light curtain, emitting a harsh friction sound and scattering sparks, but only leaving shallow marks. It opened its bloody maw and sprayed a stream of dark green venom; the venom landed on the light curtain, making a "hissing" sound and emitting bursts of white smoke, but the rune light on the curtain flashed, and the venom was purified.

But how could the power of this complete version of the Nine Nether Universe Array, personally set up by Lu Qiu, be something it could resist? Those attacks landed on its body, sending its scales flying, causing it to bleed profusely, and tearing its skin and flesh!

It let out painful howls, its voice filled with despair and anger, yet it was unable to break free from this sturdy cage.

Moreover, Lu Qiu himself had already made a move from the shadows!

He stood outside the Formation, chanting incantations with his hands, and streams of sharp Sword Qi flew from his fingertips, as if they had eyes, accurately hitting the vital points of the Eighth-Grade Great Demon.

Its eyes, its mouth, and the thinner scale areas on its abdomen—he specifically targeted its weak defenses!

Every sword strike left a deep wound, with blood gushing out like a fountain.

A moment later, that powerful Eighth-Grade Great Demon was easily killed under the combined attack of the Formation and Lu Qiu. Its massive body collapsed with a crash, kicking up a cloud of dust, its limbs twitched a few times, and then it completely lost its life, turning into a pile of precious Artifact Refining Materials and Alchemy raw Materials!

Its Demonic Core was also extracted from the corpse by Lu Qiu; it was a fist-sized, dark green sphere that radiated a rich Demonic Qi, feeling warm and smooth in his hand.