Black robes and a golden crown trampled lovely bones; a black cord bound the soul and enslaved a Golden Core

Somewhere in the Grotto-Heaven.

A Daoist priest in black robes seemed to sense something, his gaze drifting towards Chen Shuangbai's direction as he muttered, "They're all dead... This feeling seems to be the way of the sword?"

After reciting this sentence, the Daoist in black robes turned around, raised his black boots, and stomped heavily on the face of the female cultivator beneath him, making a cracking sound that was almost audible as bones broke.

The female cultivator was strikingly beautiful, with a gash in her abdomen from which a steady stream of poisonous blood flowed, transforming into colorful, wriggling venomous insects that were then devoured by the hordes of demons that swarmed around her.

This female cultivator was a direct descendant of the Celebrated Origin Sect, Liu Rushi.

She was really unlucky.

Originally, they came here to show off their skills, acquire treasures, seize fortuitous opportunity, and strengthen their sect's foundation, but they first encountered Hong Qing, the successor of the Heavenly Star Sect who had mastered the Five Luminaries Divine Ability.

She greatly underestimated the power of the Five Luminaries Divine Ability and was almost beaten half to death. However, she managed to escape and survive by taking advantage of Jixuan of the Arrayed Mystery Sect's arrival, which distracted Hong Qing.

After escaping, she originally intended to find Zhao Buyan or Zhangsun Xu to join her, hoping to use the methods of these two successors of the Demonic Sect to recover from her injuries and continue exploring this Grotto-Heaven to earn spiritual resources for Nascent Soul formation.

Unexpectedly, before they had escaped for long, they were found by this mysterious Daoist priest in black robes.

The other party appeared to be dressed in an upright manner, with a sword and Law Seals hanging at his waist, and a golden crown on his head. He had the air of a high-ranking immortal with flowing sleeves, but he commanded dozens of demons, each of them ferocious and cunning. He manipulated Sha Qi as if it were a toy, and also possessed the ability to appear and disappear like ghosts.

In a single exchange, Liu Rushi was captured by the Daoist priest and easily trampled under his feet, leaving her unable to live or die.

Liu Rushi, well-versed in the survival strategies of the Demonic Sect, uttered a plea for mercy.

"My lord, please don't kill me! Please don't kill me!"

Spare my life, and I'll serve you as a slave; you'll always be of use!

Hearing the man's pleas for mercy, the Daoist priest in black robes paused slightly, but his strength did not diminish. He pressed down little by little, almost flattening Liu Rushi's originally beautiful face, and even making her eyes bulge out, giving her the appearance of someone about to die.

Liu Rushi's soul trembled, for she was utterly powerless to resist. A chilling sense of impending death swept over her, leaving her unable to distinguish between reality and fantasy.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but she felt a relaxation on her face, and her consciousness gradually returned to her body.

Then, the black-robed Daoist's golden vertical pupils flickered slightly. He casually picked up a demon head, and amidst the demon's mournful howls, he expressionlessly kneaded it until it transformed into a black rope.

Under Liu Rushi's watchful gaze, the Daoist drove the black rope into his own body, binding his soul and branding it onto it like a mark. One end extended outwards and disappeared into the Daoist's palm.

Liu Rushi felt a fierce demonic force continuously flowing into her body, and her injuries were completely healed in an instant. Even the effects of Hong Qing's Mars Divine Edge striking her body were expelled.

After a series of rustling sounds, she returned to her original radiant appearance.

But Liu Rushi no joy whatsoever. Instead, she knelt down and bowed deeply, concealing the deep fear and horror in her eyes.

Such methods... could it be that some ancient Devil Cultivator?

The Daoist in black robes seemed to have gleaned considerable information from his encounter with Liu Rushi's soul. His eyes narrowed slightly, and without even glancing at the kneeling Liu Rushi, he simply said, "I'm giving you a chance to be a dog. Don't disappoint me."

"Yes, my master!"

Liu Rushi knelt on the ground, not daring to raise her head for a long time, until the other person called her name.

The Daoist priest in black robes was somewhat pleased with her submissive attitude. His gaze drifted into the layers of colorful clouds, seemingly with a touch of nostalgia, and he said, "Summon your fellow disciples here."

Without the slightest hesitation, the direct descendant of the Celebrated Origin Sect summoned the other two Golden Core from the Celebrated Origin Sect who had followed him in using special methods.

Not long after.

The shadowy figures of a green snake and a colorful lizard flickered in the clouds. Two Golden Core cultivators from the Celebrated Origin Sect, having received a message from their senior sister, quickly arrived.

"Why is Senior Sister calling us so urgently...?"

The second half of his sentence caught in his throat. The Golden Core cultivator saw that his senior sister, who was usually arrogant and ruthless, was now standing obediently behind a rather handsome Daoist in black robes, her eyes lowered, looking completely submissive.

The two immediately realized something was wrong, and when they came to their senses, they saw that their retreat had been blocked by dozens of demons.

Those demons were all treacherous and cunning. They broke through the two men's defenses, burrowed into their bodies, and devoured their flesh, blood, and souls. Finally, they emerged from their shells as if they had consumed a highly nourishing substance. Their eyes gleamed with bloodlust, and their power increased dramatically.

These demons, seemingly insatiable, were about to leave in all directions to devour living beings, but were met with a cold snort from the black-robed Daoist, and then obediently returned like dogs, circling around him.

"The physical bodies of you demonic cultivators... are truly filthy, inferior to those of Immortal Dao cultivators."

The Daoist priest in black robes made a casual comment, but it made Liu Rushi's heart pound wildly.

Such power... just who is this deity?

"Master, do you wish to escape from here...? If so, there's an opening here that... Ahhhhh?!"

The beautiful female cultivator had only spoken half of her sentence when she felt the black rope above her soul burn like a red-hot iron, causing her body to arch backward and she lay on the ground spinning as if she were going mad.

It took her a long while to recover, but she was exhausted and weak.

The Daoist priest in black robes, however, remained nonchalant, lifting his foot and heading in a certain direction, coldly uttering only the words, "A dog is not worthy to offer me advice."

"If there's a next time, I'll kill you."

That's all.

The Daoist in black robes remained a streak of dark light, allowing the dozens of demons to transform into a cloud of demonic energy and envelop him as they headed towards the center of the Grotto-Heaven. There stood a vast palace complex, radiating Divine Ability light, the core area of this Grotto-Heaven, a place even the successors of the six sects dared not venture into.

Liu Rushi dared not linger and could only follow closely behind from a distance.

The black rope had gradually merged with her soul.

At this moment, she had completely become this Daoist's servant.

South Splendor Mountain.

When True Lord Xuantong saw that only his soul had escaped, he was greatly alarmed. He hurriedly took out a treasure to temporarily stabilize Qin Ziwei's soul, and then asked him in detail.

"My disciple, who has caused you to become like this?"

True Lord Qingyu also came closer, looking quite interested.

[PS: Two chapters for now, two more to come later. Please support me!]