The Cave

"What would a ghost cultivator need Spirit Stone for?" Tie Junshan asked in astonishment. Although ghost cultivators are rarely seen in the Huaxia Cultivation World now, everyone knows that they need ample Yin Qi, and Spirit Stone are completely useless to them.

"It shouldn't be for him." Yue Qianchou frowned deeply and said, "I've lived in the Demon Ghost Domain for so long. Although I don't know much about it, I can sense that there seems to be a very powerful person hidden there. All the Demon King and ghost kings seem to be very wary of this person. If I'm not mistaken, the Spirit Stone that the Ghost General asked me to collect should be for that person."

Having said that, he suddenly snapped out of his deep thought, waved his hand and laughed, "I've lost my composure. Look at me, why am I telling you all this?"

Tie Junshan and the three elders wore unusually solemn expressions. Yue Qianchou's words reminded them of the time in the Demon Ghost Domain when Grandma Ma Jiu and several other late Tribulation Transcendence stage experts were injured together. That incident was strange; after analyzing it, the Corpse God Sect suspected that a Spirit Transformation stage expert might be hiding there. Now, Yue Qianchou's words not only confirmed some of their suspicions but also made them even more convinced that a top-tier expert was indeed hiding in the Demon Ghost Domain.

The group believed that given Yue Qianchou's former status on Fu Xian Island, it was impossible for the Fu Xian Island to have informed him of such a matter; it was likely only known to the Fu Xian Island's higher-ups. Therefore, it could be inferred that what Yue Qianchou said was true.

However, they were unaware that Yue Qianchou and Furong were having an affair, and Furong's father had already told his prospective son-in-law everything. In Yue Qianchou's words, a lie must be half-true and half-false to be believable; a complete lie is easily exposed. Of course, telling the whole truth isn't acceptable either; that's just stating the facts, not lying.

"Yue Qianchou, is the Nine Nether Cave located in the Demon Ghost Domain?" Tie Junshan asked.

"That's right, and it's right under the Ghost General's throne, the Ghost General's palace. Wait!" Yue Qianchou suddenly looked at the group seriously and said suspiciously, "Judging from what you're saying, do you want to go to the Nine Nether Cave to mine Nether Iron? If that's the case, I advise you to give up that idea. Let's not even talk about whether you can get into the Nine Nether Cave. Even if you could, the Nine Nether Cave is not a place that ordinary people can go to. I only stayed at the entrance of the cave for a short while and almost lost my life. It's even more dangerous inside."

Tie Junshan glanced at the three elders, and seeing them nod slightly, he said, "We are not so arrogant as to want to invade the Demon Ghost Domain. We just want to ask if, given your relationship with the Ghost General, you could ask him to collect some more Nether Iron. Our Corpse God Sect is willing to exchange it with the Ghost General for Spirit Stone."

Yue Qianchou and shook his head, saying, "The Ghost General said that even with his cultivation level, he wouldn't dare to go in often, for fear of something unexpected happening. I can't guarantee whether I can persuade him, and I'm also too embarrassed to ask him to take the risk."

If he had agreed immediately, the others might have been a little skeptical. But his refusal only made them more certain that he was telling the truth. Jiang Huan handed over the Storage Bag in his hand and said, "Yue Qianchou, you just need to ask Ghost General. Whether things go well or not, this ten million is yours."

To be honest, Yue Qianchou really wanted to accept the money for free, but he still gritted his teeth and refused, saying, "There's no need to give me the money. After this great battle, I can ask Ghost General. As for whether it will work out, I can't guarantee it."

The group was taken aback by the almost free money offered under such circumstances. It seemed the rumors circulating in the Cultivation World had gone too far.

"Yue Qianchou, are you selling your flying Law Artifact?" Tie Junshan suddenly asked, touching the armrest of his seat. The three elders were slightly taken aback, then nodded in unison.

Damn! They really don't care about the means. Yue Qianchou shook his head and said, "It's not a matter of whether to sell or not, but that I can't sell. Because I've already promised a certain reclusive master that I would give these things to him after using them for a while. It seems that he also wants this Nether Iron for some purpose. I'm a man of my word, and I never go back on my promises. By the way, may I ask you something? What exactly do you want the Nether Iron for?"

Tie Junshan paused for a moment, then resolutely refused, saying, "This is a matter of privacy for our sect, and it is really inconvenient to disclose." He then asked, "I wonder which reclusive master also needs this Nether Iron?"

Yue Qianchou sneered inwardly. They kept their own privacy secrets to themselves, yet they were so open about others'. They were truly selfish and petty people. Yue Qianchou smiled faintly and said, "Everyone calls him Mr. Nongzhu."

"Mr. Nongzhu?" The group recalled that the foreign cultivators at the Blade Drawing Tournament seemed to have mentioned this person, suggesting he was indeed a remarkable figure. Tie Junshan asked again, "Who is this Mr. Nongzhu, and what use does he have for this Nether Iron?"

Yue Qianchou's face darkened, and he said coldly, "It seems like you've been asking questions all along, and I've been answering them. Even when I asked a question, you dismissed it with a dismissive 'it's our sect's private matter.' Don't you think you've asked too many questions? I won't see you off!"

He immediately turned hostile and ordered them to leave. The others tried to persuade him, but Yue Qianchou simply ignored them. Helpless, Jiang Huan suggested, "The matter of the Ghost General will have to be left to you."

"I'm a man of my word; I remember what I promise. I'm tired, please leave!" Yue Qianchou once again urged them to go, and the group had no choice but to get up and leave. But before leaving, Jiang Huan still left the Storage Bag behind. This time, Yue Qianchou didn't refuse. After they had gone some distance, he deftly grabbed the Storage Bag and tossed it in his hand, watching their retreating figures with a cold laugh, "Since you want Nether Iron, a mere ten or twenty million won't do you think you can get rid of me? Do you really think I'm a beggar?"

After the group left with unpleasant expressions, Ji Feiming transmitted his voice to Jiang Huan, saying, "He has refused several times, so why did you still give him the money?"

Jiang Huan replied, "Giving it to him is so that he will remember this after receiving our money."

"What if he forgets or doesn't go looking for the Ghost General at all?" Ji Feiming frowned.

"That's easy. If he really dares to do that, my Corpse God Sect won't mind paying a high price to seize these flying Law Artifact." Jiang Huan's previously amiable expression instantly turned ferocious.

Wuji Island, dozens of miles from the Wuji Palace, nestled deep in the mountains, features a waterfall nearly a hundred meters high cascading down into a clear pool in the valley below, its waters splashing everywhere. A stream flows from the pool into the depths of the mountains. Occasionally, birds and animals can be seen drinking at the stream's edge. The valley is serene and tranquil, a truly peaceful and idyllic scene.

Not far from the pool, at the foot of a secluded mountain in the valley, lies a cave, clearly naturally formed, yet showing signs of alteration and widening. Two people guard the cave entrance, preventing any third from entering.

Yan Bugui at the cave entrance for a long time, but the two disciples guarding the cave wouldn't let him in. In the end, he could only shout a few times in frustration and leave.

Not long after Yan Bugui left, a figure slowly emerged from the cave. It was the Seventh Brother of the Man Hu brothers. He waved to the two men. The disciples guarding the cave quickly rushed in, and soon the two emerged carrying two corpses each, before disappearing swiftly into the mountains. The Seventh Brother's face was pale, and his arms were trembling slightly. In the end, he simply crossed his arms and stood in the center of the cave entrance, taking on the role of guard.

The fresh marks of the steps extending backward beneath his feet were still visible, indicating that the cave had not been carved out for long. Two or three hundred meters deeper into the cave, there was a giant space formed by stalactites.

The Man Hu brothers were guarding the bottleneck leading into the space. The Sixth Brother shook his head and said with a wry smile, "The Seventh Brother always claims to be brave, but looking at how he pretended nothing was wrong and walked out just now, his legs were trembling slightly. He was obviously scared."

Man Hu withdrew his gaze from the depths of the cave and sighed, "Killing people is nothing to us, but bleeding tens of thousands of living people is something any normal person would be afraid of. If you're not afraid, you can try it."

"Forget it." Sixth Brother waved his hands repeatedly and said, "I never realized I was such a coward. After seeing a few more, I never wanted to go in again. I'm afraid I'll never forget that scene for the rest of my life."

"Hey! Aren't we committing a sin?" The third brother, who had been keeping his head down, suddenly muttered, whether to everyone else or to himself, it was unclear.

"Third brother!" Man Hu walked over and shook his shoulder heavily, saying, "It's all over, there's no need to kill anymore. The 'Myriad Blood Pool Attraction' is ready, enough for the Young Palace Lord to awaken the blood in his body into demonic blood. When the Demonic Body and demonic blood are combined, the Young Palace Lord will definitely achieve twice the result with half the effort in cultivating the Demon Codex, and we can also fulfill our master's important task as soon as possible."

"Ten thousand mortal lives!" The third brother covered his face with his hands and rubbed it vigorously. Man Hu patted him on the shoulder, said nothing more, and turned to say, "Fourth brother, find a way to get a few more Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, in case the Young Palace Lord needs them from time to time."

"I feel like a human trafficker in the secular world right now," the fourth brother said, shaking his head. Man Hu kicked him in the backside, and the fourth brother quickly ran away.

"This Demon Codex has only just begun to be cultivated, and the cultivation process alone is already so terrifying. It's hard to imagine what it will be like after it's fully cultivated." The Fifth Brother said as he walked over, leaned his head between the group, and whispered, "Senior brother, do you think it will eventually become so inhuman that it won't even recognize us?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Man Hu shoved his head away and subconsciously looked back inside. The others followed suit. The Fifth Brother, unrepentant, leaned closer again. He lowered his voice and said, "Have you noticed that since the Young Palace Lord started cultivating the Demon Codex, his eyes have become colder and colder? I can hardly see any human characteristics in his eyes."

"Nonsense, the Young Palace Lord is destined to become a demon. He's not even human anymore, so what's the point of having humanity?" the Sixth Brother said sarcastically.

Man Hu glared, about to teach him a lesson, when suddenly a gurgling sound, like bubbles rising from water, came from inside, but with a more resounding clang. The sound echoed slightly in the empty cave, sending chills down their spines. The group exchanged glances and quickly slipped into the cave...

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